Lot Essay
Nuestra Señora de Atocha, part of the Spanish treasure fleet sunk off the Florida Keys in September 1622, was carrying a wealth of wrought silver objects as well as silver and gold bullion. Some pieces are marked with a crowned pomegranate, which has now been ascribed to Santa Fé de Bogotá in present-day Colombia, and it is reasonable to assume that most of the silver articles on the ship were made in New Granada. Many of the pieces recovered are now in the Museo de América in Madrid.
The precise function of this type of bowl is somewhat unclear. Called tembladeras in Spanish, they are the most common form of drinking cup to survive from the 17th century. A drawing of one of 1678, done by Juan Remendo, is preserved in the Llibres de Passanties of Barcelona. In the similar apprentice drawing books of Seville, a similar one appears dating from 1688. Often thought to be for wine and described as a catavinos, a clue to their use is perhaps provided by the presence of one in a still life attributed to Zurbaran in the Musèe des Beaux-Arts, Besançon, illustrated here. Traditionally entitled Still Life with Chocolate Service, it depicts objects associated with the service of chocolate, including a chocolate pot, swizzle stick and Chinese porcelain cups. The two-handled bowl placed carefully on the center of the salver, practically identical to the present example, appears to contain chocolate. The surviving examples with a Spanish American provenance from the early 17th century would also support this. For a discussion of these cups see José Manuel Cruz Valdovinos, Cincos Siglos de Platería Sevillana, ex. cat., 1992, no. 79 and Hartop, "New Light on Spanish seventeenth century silver" in Silver Journal, no. 1, 1990.
The precise function of this type of bowl is somewhat unclear. Called tembladeras in Spanish, they are the most common form of drinking cup to survive from the 17th century. A drawing of one of 1678, done by Juan Remendo, is preserved in the Llibres de Passanties of Barcelona. In the similar apprentice drawing books of Seville, a similar one appears dating from 1688. Often thought to be for wine and described as a catavinos, a clue to their use is perhaps provided by the presence of one in a still life attributed to Zurbaran in the Musèe des Beaux-Arts, Besançon, illustrated here. Traditionally entitled Still Life with Chocolate Service, it depicts objects associated with the service of chocolate, including a chocolate pot, swizzle stick and Chinese porcelain cups. The two-handled bowl placed carefully on the center of the salver, practically identical to the present example, appears to contain chocolate. The surviving examples with a Spanish American provenance from the early 17th century would also support this. For a discussion of these cups see José Manuel Cruz Valdovinos, Cincos Siglos de Platería Sevillana, ex. cat., 1992, no. 79 and Hartop, "New Light on Spanish seventeenth century silver" in Silver Journal, no. 1, 1990.