The Material Dimension Of Novohispanic Art

This ESSAY reflects upon material studies on viceregal art carried out by the Laboratorio de Diagnostico de Obras de Arte (Laboratory of Artwork Diagnostics, ldoa), Instituto de Investigaciones Esteticas (Institute of Aesthetic Research, iiEs), Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (National Autonomous University of Mexico, unam) during the last years. In order to inform the reader about the status of the investigation mentioned, the article discusses the possibilities of research based on art history and it presents progress on characterization methodologies and interdisciplinary collaboration while summarizing the results achieved through various projects. Furthermore this contribution highlights the way in which information obtained from historical documents is linked to technological characteristics of the objects studied in the laboratory. The last section of the article explains findings related to organic and inorganic material. It questions aspects that open new lines of research, example given: Where lies the specificity of "the Novo Hispanic"?