ANDRÉS DE ISLAS
(Mexican, ca. 1730 – ca. 1783)

Pair of Casta Paintings

Provenance:

Borja Osborne Vázquez Collection, Cádiz, Spain; by descent in the family to:
Private Collection, Cádiz, Spain; by whom consigned to:
Christie’s, New York, 16 November 2011, lots 214 and 215, as Mexican School, 18th Century; where acquired by:
Private Collection, 2011–2025.

TThis pair of canvases by Andrés de Islas once formed part of a larger series of casta paintings—one of the most original and appealing genres of painting in the Spanish Colonial world. Originating in 18th-century Mexico, series of casta paintings (usually numbering between 14 and 16 paintings) attempted to illustrate the complex and multi-ethnic society of the Viceroyalty by depicting intermixed family groups of Spanish, Indigenous, and African origins. Casta paintings often included numbers and titles that identify the racial classification of each individual depicted. The present works, titled “De Español y Castiza, Española” and “De Español y Negra, Mulata” are placed early in the series (nos. 3 and 4), and show the progeny of Spaniards intermarried with a castiza (a woman of mixed Spanish and Indigenous heritage) and an African woman.

The genesis of casta painting in some ways reflects an increasing desire amongst the elite to maintain the European social hierarchies that were quickly breaking down in the Americas due to interracial marriages and upward mobility due to greater access to wealth. The placement of family groups with a Spanish father early in casta series, as in the present paintings, is generally viewed as an attempt to reinforce upper-class conceptions of Spanish bloodlines. In our paintings, this is especially reflected in the settings and the costumes. In no. 3, the group appears in a walled courtyard with a view onto a landscape, and they are dressed in luxurious fabrics and adorned with jewels. By comparison, in no. 4, the Spanish father is dressed in an official’s uniform, and his wife and daughter are more modestly dressed.

Casta paintings are also prized for their portrayal of domestic settings and general daily life in the Spanish Colonial world. The furnishings and objects depicted here are especially revealing about the hybridity of material culture in 18th-century Mexico, particularly the influence of European and Asian goods on those produced locally. In addition to the Colonial wooden chair partially viewed in no. 3, the plateware on the shelf in the kitchen scene of no. 4 is especially fascinating. The small cup on a saucer and the blue-and-white plates with a swan, a dog, and a rabbit are likely examples of Talavera poblana (or Talavera de Puebla) pottery. Produced in Puebla, these ceramics were influenced by both Spanish talavera wares and pieces of Chinese export porcelain that arrived on the Manila galleons. Beyond these objects, the inclusion of local tropical fruits—Mameyes and Chico Zapote (otherwise known as sapodilla)—both indicates the natural abundance of the Americas and also puts on display something that would be foreign and new to the viewer. Casta paintings were often intended for European audiences, providing unique glimpses into life in the Viceroyalty, and were frequently either made or commissioned for export to Spain. 

Andrés de Islas’s authorship of these works has been confirmed by Dr. Alejandro de Antuñano Maurer. These works can be compared with the artist’s complete series of 16 casta paintings in the Museo de América, Madrid. Islas was a leading artist in the second half of the 18th century in Mexico. He painted a wide range of subjects and took on commissions from the local secular and religious elite. He is especially known for his portraiture, but significant small-scale religious works, altarpieces, and casta paintings are found in collections in Mexico, Spain, and the United States.