230 



HISTORY OF 



MEXICO. 



" and fo equal, that they appear the performance of the 

 " pencil ; and what neither the pencil nor the colours 

 " in painting can effect, they have, when viewed from 

 " a fide, an appearance fo beautiful, fo lively, and ani- 

 " mated, they give delight to the fight. Some Indians, 

 " who are able artifts, copy whatever is painted with a 

 " pencil fo perfectly with plumage, that they rival the 

 " bed painters of Spain." (r) Thefe works of feathers 

 were even fo highly efteemed by the Mexicans as to be 

 valued more than gold. Cortes, Bernal Diaz, Gomara, 

 Torquemada, and all the other hiftorians whofaw them, 

 were at a lofs for expreffions fufficient to praife their per- 

 fection (s). A little time ago was living in Pazcuaro, for- 

 merly the capital of the kingdom of Michuacan, where 

 this art chiefly flourifhed fince the conqueft, the laft fur- 

 viving artift of mofaic works, and with him poffibly is 

 now, or will be, finifhed this admirable art, although for 

 thofe two laft centuries paft, it has fallen much fliort of 

 its ancient perfection. Several works of this kind are 

 ftill preferved in the mufeums of Europe, and many in 

 Mexico, but few we apprehend belong to the fixteenth 

 century, and none of thofe which we know of, were 

 made before the conqueft. The mofaic works alfo which 

 they made of broken {hells was extremely curious ; this 

 art is ftill practifed in Guatemala. 



In imitation of thofe ikilful artifts there were others, 

 who formed with flowers and leaves upon mats many 

 i beau- 



(r) Stor. Nat. c Mor. lib. iv. c. 37. 



(x) Gio. Lorenzo d'Anagnia, a learned Italian of the fixteenth century, 

 treating of thofe images of the Mexicans, obferves : " Amongft others I was 

 M greatly aftoniflied at a San Girolamo with a crucifix and a lion, which La 

 " Sig. Diana LofFreda lhewed me, difcovering fo much beauty from the Iive- 

 " linefs of the natural colours, fo well and fo juftly placed, that I imagined I 

 " could never fee an equal to it, far lefs a better, among the ancient or even th« 

 » u moft eminent modern painters." 



