I have written a couple of times about special exhibits that I have seen at Mexico City's Franz Mayer Museum. However I have never written about the museum's permanent collection... probably because my first visit there was before I started writing this blog.
The museum houses the collection of Franz Mayer, a German financier who moved to Mexico in the early 1900s. Over a period of fifty years he amassed an enormous collection of decorative arts with an emphasis on items from the colonial period of Mexico. When he died, he bequeathed his collection to the Mexican people. The museum opened in 1986 in a refurbished 17th century building which was once the monastery and hospital of San Juan de Dios. Today it is the largest museum of decorative arts in Latin America.
The courtyard of the former monastery
There is a large collection of pottery and ceramics, particularly Talavera ware manufactured in Puebla, Mexico. In the 17th and 18th centuries Puebla was the most important pottery center in New Spain. The museum's Talavera collection is the largest in the world.
Puebla also manufactured (and still does) glazed tiles known as "azulejos". They were used to decorate homes and churches during the colonial era. The museum's collection of around 20,000 tiles is the most important in the country. Most of them were rescued from buildings which were going to be demolished.
The silver collection is also one of the most important in the country. There are around 1,300 pieces, the majority of them related to Church liturgy.
The furniture collection has 710 pieces dating from the 16th to the 20th centuries.
"Biombos", inspired by Japanese folding screens, were popular furnishings among the wealthy in colonial Mexico.
A "papelera" was a chest for storing important papers. This beautiful piece from 17th century Peru is inlaid with tortoiseshell and mother of pearl.
This cabinet with clock was made in Augsburg, Germany, in the late 1600s. It is inlaid with mother of pearl, marble, tortoiseshell, agate and ebony.
This armoire was made in Puebla in the 18th century.
This is just a sample of what you will find in Mexico City's Franz Mayer Museum.
Nice post. The Franz Meyer was always my favourite museum in DF. I spent many happy hours drinking coffee in that courtyard, which doubled up as an emergency class room to give lessons when needed!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Gary. This is, if I remember correctly, my fourth visit to the museum, although I've never taken advantage of the coffee shop by the courtyard.
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