Algunos comentarios de la cerámica vidriada de Antigua Guatemala

Abstract

The Guatemala prehispanic pottery was suddenlv enriched with the introductions of the glazed wares from Spain. Since then, two parallel traditions are present in Guatemala. In this paper, the authors present some cornments on the glazed pottery tradition. The ceramics analysed come from several monuments of Antigua Guatemala, mainly from the Convents of San Francisco and Santo Domingo, and the Palacio Arzobispal. The glazed pottery includes an important group of monochrome wares in green, brorwn, and, less popular, in yellow and grav, which are used for more utilitarian Purposes than a second class of glazed pottery, the white majolica. the main ceramic trend in colonial times. Majolica develops four designs combining green, yellow and black in its Polichrome version: it also appears heavily represented by green Phytomorphic designs on the wh¡te surface. The third rnajolica
type is the monochrome version in white, sometimes bearing a monogram of the religious order. Another important trend in the glazed wares of Antigua that depends directly on the majolica tradition is the use of blue color. This is a variety which seldom occurs in Antigua due to the lack of cobalt in Guatemala. There is a local development of the blue color tradition applied to the typical Antigua designs, but it never appears as frequently as the above mentioned majolicas. In recent times, the use ot blue color has gained an important position in the Guatemalan ceramics as a result of access to cobalt through importation.