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Maker(s):Unknown
Culture:Mexican
Title:Dowry chest (baúl)
Date Made:late 19th century
Type:Furniture
Materials:lacquered wood
Place Made:North America; Mexico; Guerrero; Olinalá
Measurements:whole: 13 x 32 3/4 x 17 in.; 33.02 x 83.185 x 43.18 cm
Accession Number:  AC 1955.561
Credit Line:Gift of the children of Dwight W. Morrow (Class of 1895) and Elizabeth C. Morrow
Museum Collection:  Mead Art Museum at Amherst College
1955-561.jpg

Description:
Black lacquered chest with painted decorations in blue, gree, rose, white, and gold, "rayado." Cover has a central design of light and dark blue, gold and green wreaths with a spray of roses and smaller flowers, white ribbons entwined. Border of of floral and geometric designs. Front has central panel with scene of small boats, rowed by men, in a blue stream, green hills with white houses and large buildings in backgroud. Borders with floral motifs. Sides decorated with central design of flowers and bird wings above. Interior covered with red lacquer.

Label Text:
Artisans in the southwestern Mexican town of Olinalá, long recognized for making exceptional lacquer wares, created this large, ornately lacquered dowry chest. The production was typically divided by gender: women prepared the raw materials and applied the base coat of lacquer; men added decorative elements. The Mead’s trunk exemplifies a type of brush work application known as the dorado style, and features an abundance of highly organized marriage symbolism, including roses, doves, and wreaths. The front of the trunk shows a more crudely rendered scene of men in boats, possibly copied from a print source, and framed by bands of intricate abstract decoration.

This dowry chest belongs to a large collection of Spanish Colonial and Mexican vernacular artworks that Dwight Morrow (Class of 1895) collected with his wife, Elisabeth (Smith College Class of 1896), during his ambassadorship to Mexico from 1927 to 1930. The Morrows filled their home in Cuernavaca with their collection, where it manifested their love of Mexican culture and the ambassador’s desire to promote understanding and cooperation between the two countries.

RRG, 2011

Tags:
flowers; decoration and ornament; boats; figures; lacquer; furniture; containers

Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=AC+1955.561

Research on objects in the collections, including provenance, is ongoing and may be incomplete. If you have additional information or would like to learn more about a particular object, please email fc-museums-web@fivecolleges.edu.

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