Pair of altar candlesticks
Primary
Unknown Artist
NationalityBolivian, South America
Place MadeBolivia, South America
Date18th century
MediumSilver
DimensionsAdditional Dimension: 15 9/16 × 6 1/4 in. (39.5 × 15.9 cm)
Credit LineBlanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin, Purchase, 2018.304.a-b
Rights Statement
Collection AreaLatin American Art
Object number2018.304.a-b
On View
Not on viewThese silver pieces were manufactured with metal extracted from Potosí, in what is today Bolivia. Potosí was the most important mining town in South America during the colonial period. The precious metal was exploited through a tribute system of Indigenous forced labor known as mit'a, producing fabulous wealth for the Spanish crown. Silver was discovered in Potosí in 1545 in the Cerro Rico (Sumaq Urqu in Quechua), and it came to be considered such a mythical land of riches for colonizers that valer un Potosí (“it’s worth a Potosí”), became a common expression to denote great value.
Exhibitions
Unknown Artist
Late 17th century - early 18th century