xxxvi 



PAINTINGS. 



" appears, that it was made a prefent by Emanuel, king 

 " of Portugal, to pope Clement VII. After having paff- 



ed through the hands of feveral illuftrious proprietors, 

 " it came into the poffeffion of the cardinal of Saxc 

 " Eifenach, who prefented it to the emperor Leopold.** 

 The fame author, in his Hiftory of America, gives a 

 copy of one of thefe paintings, the firft part of which re- 

 prefents a king, who makes war upon a city after hav- 

 ing fent an embafly to it. The figures of temples, and 

 of fome years and days appear in it ; but as it is a fmgic 

 copy without colours, or thofe marks in the human 

 figures, which, in other Mexican paintings., enable us to 

 diflinguifli perfons, it is not fimply difficult, but totally 

 impoffible to comprehend its fignification. If Dr. Robert- 

 fon, had along with it publiflied the other feven copies 

 fent him from Vienna, probably the meaning of them all 

 might have been underftood. 



IV. The collection of Siguenza. This very learned 

 Mexican having been extremely attached to the ftudy of 

 antiquity, collected a large number of feled: ancient 

 paintings, part of which he purchafed at a great expenfe, 

 and part were left him in legacy by the very noble Indian 

 D. Juan d'Alba Ixtlilxochitl, who inherited them from 

 the kings of Tezcuco, his anceftors. Thofe reprefenta- 

 tions of the Mexican century, and the migration of the 

 Aztecas ; and thofe portraits of the Mexican kings, 

 which Gemelli publiflied in his Tour of the Worlds arc 

 copies of the paintings belonging to Siguenza, who was 

 living in Mexico when Gemelli landed there (d). The 



figure 



{a) Dr. Robertfon fays, that the painting of the migration of the Mexicans, 

 or Aztecas, was given to Gemelli by D. Chriftoval Guadalaxara ; but in that he 

 contradids Gemelli himfelf, who profefles he was indebted to Siguenza for all 

 the Mexican anti<|uities that are copied in his relation. From Guadalaxara he 



kad 



