Reading Response #2/ Art/Close Reading

Nicholas Martinez

10/20/15

Reading Response #2

            In Latin American societies, chocolate was initially used in rituals as a religious drink and a form of currency. Chocolate was then brought back to the Spanish empire through shipment of cacao beans that came from Sera Cruz to Seville in 1585. The assumption was that Columbus brought chocolate to King Ferdinand after his voyage, but it already was being widely used by in the Spanish empire in the 17^th century. It gained its notoriety through the conception of hot chocolate in liquid form with sugar and cinnamon. For trade purposes and introducing the world to this new product, Europeans created solid chocolate in order to transport it from place to place. The wooden stick ,Molinilo, allowed for the preparation of chocolate drinks to become much easier and now to be used as a drug or medicine. The texture of chocolate was dry and warm in turn making it could help heal a cold. In addition to its medicinal purposes, liquid chocolate was used as recreational drink overtime and in turn losing its spiritual meaning from its time being used in Aztec and Mayans societies.      

In 1606, this popular trade item, chocolate, made the voyage over to Italy. This transition from Spain to Italy brought on a debate about whether chocolate was a food or a drink due to religious fasting restrictions. It was finally decided that chocolate was a food item if more products were added than just water. Also, chocolate was a drink if water was just added in order to follow the guidelines of fasting. Then, Italian chocolate found its way to France and the French had many ideas about this new product. The French believed that Italian chocolate was over-roasted, bitter, not nourishing enough, and thought to possess women. With the invention of the chocolatier in the early 19^th century, French people did away with their dissatisfaction of chocolate and it became a popular commodity in French society.

            Finally, chocolate made its way to England in the 1650s along with other products such as coffee and tea. Originally in France, chocolate was only for the aristocracy in France, but once it arrived in England it was available to anyone that could afford it in England. Chocolate became so commonplace in English society that even local merchants sold it around the marketplaces Coffeehouses not only sold coffee, tea, sherbert, cock ale, and cider, but they also sold chocolate. It was assumed that it did not take much time for chocolate to make its way to England’s North American colonies after Pepys in London first tasted chocolate. The high colonial officials of the colony would bring chocolate to their administrative posts in Virginia and Massachusetts, which would then became a popular product with the people of the colonies.

            Chocolate became a success within the European colonies; it did not find much success in other parts of the world. Chocolate never gained the same notoriety in the Near East and Central Asia as it did in the European countries. This lack of popularity in the Near and Far East and Asia was due to the cultural conservatism that was present throughout these regions. Europeans still tried to make chocolate a commodity that was not only well known in the West, but also in the East. European merchants and Jesuit missionaries took chocolate with them on their journeys to these areas, but the locals did not embrace this substance as much as they did Europe.  Chocolate’s one success in the Asian continent was the Philippines, but still, the Chinese eat roughly one bar of chocolate for every 1,000 consumed by British people.

Sandro Botticelli

Madonna of the Pomegranate

1487

Botticelli painted many images that include the Virgin, the Child and the angels. In this image, Mary is sitting holding the Holy Child with a heavenly light shining directly on her. Botticelli painted an oversized Mary to symbolize how her arms can support Christ. There is no visible architecture; the angels and Mary themselves become the supportive structure symbolizing that God can handle anything. The elements of this image contain many symbolic items. Each figure wears a sad expression as if their mind is somewhere else thinking of Christ’s death. The seed of the pomegranate the infant is holding signifies that Christ will receive resurrection through rebirth just as the seed will cause the birth of a new plant. The angel in front is holding lilies and roses, which are both symbols of the Virgin.