<em>Tile</em>, circa 1700. Ceramic, glaze, 4 3/4 x 4 3/4 x 1/2in. (12.1 x 12.1 x 1.3cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1942, Frank L. Babbott Fund, 42.235.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 42.235.1_SL4.jpg)

Tile, circa 1700. Ceramic, glaze, 4 3/4 x 4 3/4 x 1/2in. (12.1 x 12.1 x 1.3cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1942, Frank L. Babbott Fund, 42.235.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 42.235.1_SL4.jpg)

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We were looking at this piece from Puebla, Mexico and the label says it is influenced by China, which we thought was interesting because we would have thought the influences were Arab, given the similar use of colors and the fact that Spain colonized Mexico and was previously under Muslim and Arab influence. We would like to know your thoughts. Thank you!

Arab and Chinese ceramic traditions were certainly in conversation with one another. Some important things to consider with this tile is the date and the color. At this time, Chinese porcelain was a sign of wealth throughout Europe and the blue and white color was something that was interpreted as decidedly Chinese. Mexican artisans (in a city like Puebla) would have been playing directly to European tastes.

Where is that tile from? I'm curious about what kind of building it belonged to.

Based on the angel imagery we assume it comes from a church or another religiously affiliated building. Unfortunately, we don't immediately have much more information than that. It is the only one like it in our collection.

Ok cool, thank you!

Tile

Arts of the Americas

This blue-and-white glazed tile from Puebla, Mexico, features an angel motif, suggesting that it was made for a church or other religious structure. The use of blue-and-white comes from the influence of Chinese porcelain trade goods that moved through Mexico in the eighteenth century, when it was under Spanish rule. Coveted by Europeans as a sign of wealth, blue-and-white porcelain was imitated by Mexican artisans for local use in churches and wealthy homes.

MEDIUM Ceramic, glaze

DATES circa 1700

DIMENSIONS 4 3/4 x 4 3/4 x 1/2in. (12.1 x 12.1 x 1.3cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Arts of the Americas

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

EXHIBITIONS

Infinite Blue

ACCESSION NUMBER 42.235.1

CREDIT LINE Museum Expedition 1942, Frank L. Babbott Fund

RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

CAPTION Tile, circa 1700. Ceramic, glaze, 4 3/4 x 4 3/4 x 1/2in. (12.1 x 12.1 x 1.3cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1942, Frank L. Babbott Fund, 42.235.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 42.235.1_SL4.jpg)

IMAGE overall, 42.235.1_SL4.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2014

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

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Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.

Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

Where is that tile from? I'm curious about what kind of building it belonged to.

Ok cool, thank you!