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Show H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. BOOK vn. letl: of the Spaniards. We are doubtful if .there are any remains of ~ thole curious works ; at leail: we apprehend, it would b ... more ealy to flnd Come in the cabinets of Europe tlun in all New Sp.1in. Covetou fnefs to profi.t by the l11tJ.tcrials mufl: unqueftionably hwe cotlquc t·cd all .defire to prefervc thcrn as curiofities. S B CT. Lit, Mnlitic works, The Mexicans alfo wrought with the hammer, but in an inferior manner, and not at all to be compared with tht.: golJfmiths of Europe; for they had no other infirumcnts to be. t metals than 1l:ones. How. ever, it is well known that they wrought copper well, and that the Spaniards were much pleafed with their axes ancl pikes. The Mexican founders and goldfr11iths formed a refpetl:able body of people. They rendered particular wor!hip to their protecting god Xipf, and in honour of him held a great feil:ival in the fecond month, at which human vi<:tims were facrificed. Nothing, however, was more highly valued by the Mexicans than their rnofJic works, which were made of the mofi: delicate and beautiful f athers of birds. They raifed for this purpofe various fpecies of birds of fine plumage with which that country abounds, not only in the palaces of the king, where, as we have already obferved, there were all forts of animals, but likewifc in private houfes, and at certain feafons they carried off their feathers . to tnakt: ufe of them on this kind of work, or to fell them at market. They fet a high value on the feathers of thofe wonderful little birds which they call Huitzitzi!in, and the Spaniards Picajhres, on account of the fmallnefs, the finenefs, and the various colours of them. In thefe and other beautiful birds, nature fupplied them with all the colours which art can produce, and al~o fame which art cannot imitate. At the undertaking of e~ery mofaJc work feveral arti1l:s a!fcmbled; after having agreed upon a dcfign, an.d taken their meafures and proportions> each artill charged himfelf' Wit~ .the exc:ut.ion of a certain part of the image, and exerted himfelf fo dthgently m Jt with fuch patience and application, that he frequ en tly f~ent. a V.:hole day in adjulting a feather; firft tryitag .one., then another., v1ewmg 1t fometimcs one way., then another, until he found one which gave his. part that ideal .perfecl:ion propofed to be attained. When the . part whtch each: artiil: undertook was done, they afiembled again .to flo .rm t h c entt.r e u. nage from them. If ..u ~y p.u.t was accidentally -the 8 ~fi H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0 .. lea.fl: der.anged, it was wrought again until it was perfeCl:ly fi111fhed. They latd hold of the feathers with [m;-tll pincers, that they might not do them the lea.fl: injury, and palled them on the cloth with 'l'zaubt/i, or .fome other glutinous m:J.tt~,;r; then they united all the parts upon a a l1ttle table, or a plate of copper, and. flattened them foftly until they left the furfJc.e of the image fo ey_ual and fmooth it appeared to be the w.ork of a pencil. T h ·(e were the · images fo much celebrated. by the Spaniards and other European nations. Whoev.er beheld them was at a lofs whether he ought< to h ~we praifed moH the life and btauty of the natural colours, Gf the dexterity of the. artiil, and the ingenious difpolition of art. " The1e images," fays .Acofta, H are delervedly admired; for it is wonH derful how it was pofTlble, with the feathers of birds,, to · execute " works fo fine and fo equal, that they appear the performance of the . "' pencil;. and what neither the pencil nor the colours in painting can · " effetl:, they have, when viewed from a fide, an appearance fo beautiu . ful, fo lively, and animated, they give delight to the fight. Some In-· ''' dians, who are able. artiil:s, copy whatev.er is painted with a pencil. "' fo perfeCtly with plumage, that they rival the beil: painters of Spai • Thefe. works of feathers were even fo highly eil:eemed by the. Mexicans; as to be valued more than gold. Cortes, Bernal Diaz, Gomara, . Torq! Jemada, and. all the other hiftorians who ftt w them, were at a lofs . for expreflions fufficient to praife their perfeCl:ion (r). A little time . ago was living in Pazcuaro, formerly the capital of the kingdom of · Michuacan, where this art chiefly flouri!hed fince the conqueil:, the:: Jail: furviving artift of Mofaic works, and with him pofiibly is now, cr.will be,. finia1ed this admirable art, although for thofe two, lail: cen ... - turies pail:, it has fallen much t'hort of its ancient perfetl:ion. Se-· veral works of this kind are il:ill preferved in the mufeums of Eur. ope, and many in Mexico, but few we apprehend . belong , to · the fix- · (•·) Stor. Nat. c Mor. lib. iv. c. 37• · (s) Gio. Lorcn1.0 ,\' 1\uag ni:!, a learned Italian of the lixtccnth century, treating of thofe images of the Mexicans, obfervci: " Amongft others I was greatly a!lonin1cd at a San Gi-" rol~mo with a cr ucili:x auJ a lion, which . La Sig. Diana Lolfreda !hewed me, difcovering " fo much beauty from the li velincfs of thr. nat ural colours, fo well and fo jut11y placed, that . " I imngined I could nev er fe e an equal to it, far lefs a better, among the :mcicnt or even the.: · " mofi eminent modern }Jaintcn." teenth<. •PS BOOK VII. \../"V"-1 • |