Baltasar de Echave Ibía: The Blue Pigments of New Spain's Painter

Manuel Toussaint referred to Baltasar de Echave Ibía as "the Echave of the Blues." He is celebrated for his artwork, the Immaculate Conception, created in 1620 and housed at the Museo Nacional de Arte in Mexico City. An analysis of the Virgin's mantle uncovered two different grades of azurite, resulting in varied tonal effects. Echave Ibía, born circa 1583 in New Spain and passing around 1650, was the offspring of painter Baltasar de Echave Orio. He wed Ana Rioja, and they named their son Baltasar de Echave y Rioja. His landscapes, often dominated by blue hues, reflect a Northern European influence, utilizing azurite, a more readily available pigment than lapis lazuli, likely sourced from Santo Domingo. Further exploration of 17th-century artistic life in New Spain is expected.