Los dibujos de Ignacio Tirsch (1733-1781), tres cartas y una curiosa relación. Las historias naturales jesuitas de la Antigua California

Abstract

The drawings made by Ignacio Tirsch (1733-1781) are part of the Jesuit missionary work in the northern New Spain. Today we can find some of these drawings illustrating specialized books or advertising campaigns on Baja California. However, some questions remain open about their production context of these drawings, as well as their contributions to the natural history of ancient California written in the Jesuit exile. In this article I propose to analyze how and for what made these drawings were made; and propose some possible scenarios at the time of its elaboration. In addition to his experiences and field observations, there is a possibility that Ignacio Tirsch will have some notes made around the missions or manuscripts of other Jesuits about California, in addition to the support of another artist and the use of the method of ekphrasis.

Keywords

• California
• missions
• jesuits
• Ekphrasis
• Ignác Tirsch
• drawings