This edited volume complements an exhibition that was collaboratively organized by Mexican and Spanish scholars in Madrid and Mexico City in 2010–2011. The central premise of the project, as presented in the introduction by Rafael Dobado González and Andrés Calderón Fernández, both of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, was to underline artistic commonalities in the early modern transatlantic Hispanic world while recognizing regional differences. The book consists of 16 chapters divided into sections that explore three themes: the human and economic foundation of the Hispanic world, culture and politics of the Hispanic monarchy, and artistic exchanges between Europe, America, and Asia. Although the volume's title suggests a focus on painting, the essays include a broader selection of material production, including botanical illustrations, maps, prints, books, and Asian or Asian-inspired decorative objects, in addition to more conventional painting.
In the opening essay of the first section, the collection's weakest offering, Gonzalo...
