?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 5,000 - $ 7,000
Catarina de San Juan (c. 1607-1688) José del Castillo Grajeda. Compendio de la Vida, y virtudes de la venerable Catharina de San Juan.
Puebla, Mexico: En la Imprenta de Diego Frenandez de Leon, 1692.
First edition, quarto, title page, title verso, and two pages of dedication all printed within borders of type ornaments, large woodcut arms of dedicatee to verso of title; large decorative woodcut initials, including one historiated and signed and signed in the cut; bound in contemporary limp parchment; somewhat worn; index bound after preliminaries rather than at the end as called for in Medina; some spotting, paper flaws, and minor dog-earing, large tear in O2 (repaired), contents generally fresh & unsophisticated; early ownership inscription to verso ffep; 7 7/8 x 6 in.
Worlds collide in the story of Catarina de San Juan, reportedly abducted from South Asia and sold into slavery by the Portuguese, she eventually found her way to Mexico and the church. Catarina's original name was said to have been Mirra, and she is also known as China Poblana, because of her ethnic origins. The legends that come down to us are derived almost exclusively from hagiographies like the present work, one of three published after her death. Catarina is also credited with creating the China Poblana style of dress. Consisting of an embroidered blouse, skirt, slip, shawl, and kerchief, this look adopted by denizens of Puebla was modeled on the South Asian sari or langa voni which Catarina brought to Mexico in the 17th century.
Medina, Puebla 149; five copies listed in Worldcat; rare at auction.
