This painting articulates the social mobility and generational progress through the presentation of clothing attire. In contrasting the garments of the European male, Indigenous mother, and Mestizo child: the audience is presented an image on the importance of clothing to denote status, race, class, and religion​
Analysis of Piece
Nº 3. Espanol. Yndia Serrana o cafetada. Produce Mestizo.
Unknown Artist
Lima, circa 1770
Oil on Canvas
Nomenclature - Español.
The appealing to a taxonomically inclined audience though confounding pseudoscientific labels like “quinterón de mulato and quarterón de mestizo” previously had no precedent in the region's colonial documentation. This newly incorporated use of nomenclature can be seen as an attempt to differentiate the culturally hybrid society and maintain societal and systems of class.
Nomenclature - Yndia Serrana o cafetada. Produce Mestizo.
On the top part of each Casta painting, the unknown artist added the race of each parent figure and what they produce. In this painting, the father is Spanish and the mother is an Indigenous woman and together they produce a mestizo. This continued use of nomenclature shows the idea of generational progress of the mixed offspring. This painting also articulated the social mobility of the Indigenous woman, labeled serrana to denote her highlands origin; civilizada refers to the fact that she has assimilated to the European culture through her relationship with the French-attired man.
Tupu
This image shows the European male presenting his Indigenous partner a tupu, which is a pin used by Incan women to clip their Iliclla’s to their chest. In his presentation of this Indigenous item, it further speaks on the cultural hybridity of this period.
Shawl ~ Iliclla
The Andean woman’s shawl is highly reflective of the traditional Andean mantle, an Iliclla, which is an Indigenous piece of clothing. In the woman’s presentation of self wearing Indigenous garments, it further cements her classification as an indio and the historical context of this period where non-Europeans were often restricted in their attire.
Mestizo Child
The mestizo child can be seen as an image of generational progress and cultural hybridity in their appearance of equally European and Indigenous attire. The child is seen with a Catholic rosary across their neck and wearing a canvas shirt; both being reflective of European garments. On the other hand, the child is also wearing an Indigenous cross-body sash.
Textile Crown
Incans crowns were created using textiles, which was used to denote their status and wealth. Rather than using traditional materials like gold or silver, the cloth crown further reflects the woman's heritage.
Nº 9. Negra de Guinea O criolla. Español. Producen Mulatos
Unknown Artist
Lima, circa 1770
Oil on Canvas
Analysis of Piece
This painting is a visual representation of the Afro-Peruvian heritage. Similar to the setting of the Espanol. Yndia Serrana o cafetada. Produce Mestizo. Casta painting, this familial unit is positioned in front of a dark backdrop. This muted background brings the audiences attention to the foreground; including the subject's hues, facial features, and clothing. Clothing in colonial Latin America was reflective of socioeconomic and racial status, a theme which is significant to the observation of the Peruvian Casta paintings.
Negra's Presentation of Coins
Many historians believe that the African women was a prostitute based on the coins on her hand. Based on the description on top of the painting we can assume she was a slave from Africa and was from lower social class.
White Headscarf
Despite the improvements of the African woman's condition, as seen in her attire; one marker of her origins remain.The inclusion of a white wrapped headscarf on the woman's forehead within this painting is used as a marker of racial difference as within the collection, this headscarf was been used to denote individuals of color.
Mulata Child
The child sitting on the woman’s lap appears in an elegant shirtdress and is accented by a piece of red cloth and a paisley-patterned sash; with the child’s clothing being reflective of generational progress.
Ornate Clothing
The woman (Negra) is decorated by pearl and diamond earrings, a blue-and-white paisley blouse, and a ruffled skirt: all of which were highly ornate for a woman of color during this time period. While the woman appears distant from the traditional clothing and conditions of African woman during this period, this decoration is symbolic of her status and class: which she gained from unionizing with her European partner.
Español Man
The Spanish (Español) man can be seen wearing a red jacket worn over a white blouse with lace-trimmed sleeves, holding a hat in hand, and is draped with a brown cape: all of which are traditional European textiles.
Nomenclature - Negra de Guinea O criolla. Español. Producen Mulatos.
Similar to the use of nomenclature in the Espanol. Yndia Serrana o cafetada. Produce Mestizo. Casta painting, inclusion of these racial labels is used to create differentiation of race for the emerging mixed-race families.