Japanese objects in New Spain:nanbanart and beyond

What is it about?

Scholars of Mexican colonial art have long pointed to enconchados (mother-of-pearl inlaid paintings) and biombos (decorated folding screens) as evidence of Japanese influence and taste making in the art created in New Spain. Far less studied are objects manufactured in Japan and consumed throughout the viceroyalty. Based largely on archival and contemporary published evidence, this article examines items coming from the nanban or export tradition as well as items such as lacquer objects not fashioned specifically for foreign markets. What do we make of this seemingly little-known taste for Japanese art objects in the context of early globalization?

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