Why the LACMA’s “Archive of the World” Catalogue Matters

The book begins with a fascinating section that doubles as a focused study of an eighteenth-century Sewing or Jewelry Box and a broad preview of the exhibition's ethos.

Written by the show’s curator and museum Department Head of Latin American Art Ilona Katzew, these introductory pages explain that the origins of this box and others like it have long been considered “slippery to categorize.”

Though its inlaid shell and red interior suggest the item is a product of Asain—specifically, Chinese—craftsmanship, items like this were exceedingly popular across Viceregal Latin America, particularly within the wealthy circles of Lima and Mexico City.

Scholars have presented a variety of theories regarding who produced this type of box. Many believe they were imported from the Philippines, another site of Spanish colonization. Others, that such items were produced in the wealthy Spanish American cities in which they were most popular. Yet, researchers associated with this show believe the box was made in Guatemala—a finding supported by “documentary and material evidence.”

One cannot overstate how important it is to acknowledge that this object, and so many others like it, “were intended to evoke—not mechanically copy—particular items by reinterpreting and combining distinct forms and uses of materials, often with the aim of surpassing the beauty and craftsmanship of their models.”

The incredibly complicated and long-misunderstood history of this particular object type is not unique. The dismissal of indigenous agency has been too common for too long in scholarship. In the words of Katzew, “Artworks created within a colonial context were often the result of a highly subtle process of negotiation and the creation of new symbolizations among the different social constituents.” It’s time to start acknowledging as much.