Original Antique Print of a Chocolate-Drinking Creole Lady of Lima, Peru, c.1796
Description: An original antique copperplate engraving titled "Española Criolla de Lima" and "Dame Créole du Pérou", depicting an elegantly dressed Creole lady from Lima, Peru, drinking hot chocolate. The engraving was published in Venice around 1796 as part of Giulio Ferrario's celebrated costume publication Raccolta di Disegni delle più Interessanti Vestimenta delle Diverse Nazioni.
The lady is shown enjoying chocolate from a traditional mancerina, a uniquely Spanish-American drinking vessel developed during the colonial period to prevent the spilling of hot chocolate. At her feet are a beautifully decorated chocolate pot and matching chocolate cup, making this one of the most attractive eighteenth-century depictions of the famous chocolate-drinking culture of colonial Peru.
During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries Lima became one of the great centres of chocolate culture in the Spanish Empire. Drinking chocolate was an important social ritual among the wealthy Creole families of the Viceroyalty of Peru, and the elegant *mancerina* became one of the defining luxury objects of colonial Latin America.
The richly embroidered dress, lace sleeves, jewellery and elaborate hairstyle illustrate the sophisticated fashions worn by the Creole elite of Lima during the late eighteenth century. Costume engravings such as this were produced for European audiences fascinated by the customs and fashions of distant countries.
Giulio Ferrario (1767–1847) was one of Italy's foremost publishers of illustrated costume books. His monumental survey of world costumes remains among the finest visual records of eighteenth-century dress and continues to be highly sought after by collectors.
This is an original antique engraving printed in the eighteenth century. It is not a modern reproduction.
Maker: Giulio Ferrario
Publication: Raccolta di Disegni delle più Interessanti Vestimenta delle Diverse Nazioni
Title: Española Criolla de Lima / Dame Créole du Pérou
Place of publication: Venice
Date: circa 1796
Technique: Copperplate engraving
Origin: Italy
Condition: Good condition considering its age. General age-related toning and a fold line in middle, occasional light foxing and minor handling wear. Please study the image carefully.
The framed and interior visuals are provided for imagination and presentation purposes only. The original antique print is sold unframed.
Keywords: Chocolate, hot chocolate, mancerina, chocolate pot, colonial chocolate, Lima, Peru, Creole lady, Dame Créole, Española Criolla, colonial Peru, Viceroyalty of Peru, Giulio Ferrario, Venice, costume print, fashion history, original antique print, eighteenth century, copperplate engraving, South America, Latin America, colonial costume, historical costume, decorative engraving, luxury, women's fashion.
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