Beschreibung:

López Morillo family. Carta executoria, manuscript on paper, in favor of the family of Lopez Murillo ("Morillo"), whose claim to nobility was examined before Raffael de Trejo Carvajal, "alcade ordinario," in Mexico City and at Tlaxcala in 1590, attested by Juan Pérez de Rivera, Escribano publico, 2 June 1594
This manuscript provides a transcript of a judicial procedure recognizing the gentility and Limpieza de sangre of the López Morillo family, merchants of Ciudad de México. The magistrate Rafael de Trejo Carvajal reviewed the evidence and a notary, Juan Pérez de Rivera (ca. 1557–1631), Escribano publico for nearly fifty years (1582–1631), attested this transcript, placing his mark, signature, and the date 2 June 1594 at the end, where there is another attestation of the same date, and additional signatures.
On 15 July 1594, Juan López Morillo (sometimes Murillo) presented his family title to the Holy Office of the Inquisition, as recorded in the minutes of the town council of Mexico City. Juan Lopez was an immigrant merchant, born in Belalcázar (province of Córdoba, Andalusia), the son of Hernán López de Córdova and Catalina de Morillo. He married Petronila Pedraza, a familiar, by whom he had several children, among them Petronila (1570), Antonia (1574), Pedro (1576) and Juana (1586), the first and the last baptized in the Convento de San Francisco de la Ciudad de México, parish of El Sagrario de México, the two others in the parish of Santa Veracruz, in the same city. Another daughter, named Catalina (her date of birth unknown), married Pedro Sáenz de Mañozca, Secretario de la Inquisición (1594–1618). In 1594, Juan López Morillo was elected Prior y cónsules del Consulado de Mercadores.
This patent of nobility and “blood purity” is among the earliest examples of a gilt-tooled binding from the Americas. Other published sixteenth-century examples cover documents dated
§ 1585 — Record of litigation between Gabriel de Escobar and his creditors: London, British Library, Add MS 60343 (Oyens, “A Mexican gilt binding, c. 1585,” in The Book Collector [1978], pp. 380–381);
§ 1588 — Libro General de la Contaduría del Rey Nuestro Señor: Mexico, Archivo General de la Nación (Terreros y Vinent, Encuadernaciones artisticas mexicanas. Siglos XVI al XIX [Mexico, 1932], no. 1);
§ ca. 1584–1589 — Atlas of sea charts and miscellaneous material: New York, Hispanic Society of America (Penney, An Album of Selected Bookbindings [New York, 1967], Pl. 37);
§ 1591 — Carta Executoria de Hildalguia, in favor of Diego Lopez de Peredo: New York, Pierpont Morgan Library, M.987 (Needham, Twelve Centuries of Bookbinding, 400–1600 [New York, 1979], p. 310); and
§ 1597 — Carta Ejecutoria de Hidalguia, in favor of Antonio de Nava of Larma: New York, Pierpont Morgan Library, Ms M.924 (Nixon, Sixteenth-century Gold-tooled Bookbindings in the Pierpont Morgan Library [New York, 1971], no. 66; Needham, no. 100).
Like the last of these bindings, said to be bound in rose-dyed sheep, the Brooker volume “has the appearance of being the work of a professional Spanish binder, who has gone to Mexico equipped with some well-cut Spanish rolls and tools” (Nixon, p. 256). The combination of a gilt dolphin tool with a gilt classical head is prevalent on Spanish bindings of the last quarter of the sixteenth century (cf. Penney, Pl. 20, a Carta executoria, Valladolid, 1570). The Brooker binding could be from the same shop as the 1585 binding now in the British Library, as they seem to share the same thistle tool at the corners.
Manuscript (292 x 201 mm), on paper, 54 leaves (one blank at the beginning and six at end), ca. 31 lines written in black in a developed script with flourishes, the first two pages ruled in red and yellow, first line of second page in red and gold, attestation on last manuscript page. The paper of the manuscript and the rear pastedown is watermarked with two intertwined columns surmounted by a crown, containing the name “I. Mathias” (Briquet 4443, in use in 1593). (Some browning and soiling.)
binding: Mexican russet sheep (303 x 206 mm), ca 1594, richly gilt, sides paneled with double gilt fillets flanked by 2 pairs of blind fillets, in inner corners and centers of outer frame a large arabesque tool, partly azured, in outer corners a thistle tool, in its side panels 2 fleurs-de-lis; winged horse, above and below it that of the head and shoulders of a man wearing a classical helmet, flanked by 2 coroneted dolphins; 4 raised bands on spine, in the compartments the fleur-de-lis, above and below it a small star, red edges. (Corners and spine-ends restored, extremities rather rubbed, some stains.) Red cloth folding-case. 
provenance: Lopez Murillo (fl. 1590) of Mexico City — “Titulo de nobleza de Lopez Murillo Ano de 1590” (unidentified eighteenth-century inscription on f.2) — Sotheby’s, London, 14 July 1981, lot 75, purchased by — Bernard Quaritch, London (£5000; Catalogue 1025, [1982], item 133, $18,000; Catalogue 1048, [1985], item 64, $12,000)— Martin Breslauer Inc., New York (Catalogue 111, [1994], item 8, $39,000) — Christie’s, London, 1 May 1996, lot 31 [anonymously consigned by Martin Breslauer Inc.: passed at £4200 against an estimate of £8000–12,000]. acquisition: Purchased from Martin Breslauer Inc., 1997. 
references: Schoenberg database, SDBM_255549