Antique Print of a Creole Lady Drinking Chocolate in Lima, Peru, c.1796
€ 475
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1796
Sheet size
46.5 × 31.7 cm (18.3 × 12.5 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-14303-34
What the condition grades mean
Excellent
Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good
Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good
Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair
Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
Condition
Good condition considering its age. General age-related toning, occasional foxing, and minor handling wear. Please review the images for further condition details.
About this sheet
A Creole lady of Lima drinking chocolate, an original copperplate engraving lettered "Dama Criolla di Lima nel Perù" in Italian and "Dame Créole de Lima du Pérou" in French, with the plate number "C. 86" at the lower right. The old text places it in Giulio Ferrario's costume work Raccolta di Disegni delle più Interessanti Vestimenta delle Diverse Nazioni, published in Venice around 1796.
She stands on a paved terrace before a balustrade, in a long embroidered apron over a layered gown with lace-trimmed sleeves and a shawl over her shoulders, flowers in her hair. In her raised hand she holds a mancerina, the small saucer with a ring that held a cup of hot chocolate, and a spherical ornament sits on the balustrade post behind her. At her feet on the paving lie a chocolate pot with a handle and a small cup with a spoon.
Chocolate drinking was an important social ritual among the Creole elite of colonial Lima, and the mancerina was a Spanish-American invention to keep the cup from spilling. The plate was made for European readers curious about the dress of far-off countries.
