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Allegory of Maternal Love, sons. One handing her child a basket of symbolic flowers, the attributed to Natan other teaching her offspring to read from a devotionalЧis said to
Grijalva, 834. be of Larissa and Margattta Grijalva and their chi'patro sons. Few
Water color on paper. artists of any period work in minatureЧthis oval painting is only
Galerria Grijalva. three inches longЧand of the eight examples in the Grijalva col-
lection, six are by this artist, youngest brother of Larissa, Margatta, and Verro Grijalva. So it is mostly likely his work, depicting his twin sisters and his nephews.
There is defiance in this picture, for all its tranquil domesticity. The boys' Tza'ab features and coloring are deliberately contrasted with the gray eyes and lighter skins of the women. For their Tza'ab blood the chi'patros were shunned, despised, and suspected of every evil; Ecclesial arguments raged over whether they even possessed souls. By showing the mothers giving their sons religious faith, literacy, sincerity, honesty, generosity, loyalty, and industry, the artist lays claim for the chi'patros to personal and societal virtues that few were willing to grant them.


This painting, a straightforward documentary rendering of an
Duchess Jesminia at the event witnessed by the artist, records the last official act of Duchess
Ressolvo, Jesminia's life. Though already ill from Nerro Lingua and only
by Liranzo Grijalva, 881. three days from death, no trace of disease is evident in her radiant
Oil on canvas; unfinished. face, which the artist has delicately haloed with sunlight through
Galerria Verrada. the windows behind her. She watches with a gentle smile as the
chi'patros are reconfirmed in the Faith. The expressions of the
Premia Sancta and Premio Sancto are not so benign, even as they give their blessing. The religious leaders of Tira Virte felt as the rest of the city did, that even though the Grijalvas suffered more deaths than any other family, the chi'patros were to blame for Nerro Lingua ("Black Tongue," named for its most ominous symptom), from which one in four persons died. It was whispered that this was retribution from the Mother and Son for having taken in the chi'patros.
The day after his mother's death, Alessio I issued an Edict proclaiming all Grijalvas to be under perpetual protection of the Dukes of Tira Virte. But this law did not defend them against the hysterical mobЧoriginally assembled to mourn their beloved DuchessЧthat attacked Palasso Grijalva. Many, including Margatta Grijalva, died before the Shagarra Regiment restored order. It is said that Liranzo was interrupted in the middle of this painting that night, and injuries taken in the fighting prevented him from finishing it.
The artist was the chi'patro son of Larissa Grijalva, the same child probably portrayed in the
miniature above. He is seen in the shadows of the Cathedral Imagos Brilliantos, identifiable by the paintbrush half-tucked into his pocket and the Chieva do'Orro around his neck.


The intensifying rivalry between the Serranos and the Grijalvas is
Self-Portrait of Garza the motivation behind this arrogant self-portrait: the artist shows
Serrano, Lord Limner, himself in the full ceremonial regalia of Lord Limner, but with
906. robes of Serrano brown embroidered in the family's feather sigil
Oil on wood. and boots planted firmly on broken tiles bearing the Grijalva azu-
Galerria Verrada. lejo rosette.
Skeptics assert that talent cannot manifest in successive generations, that simple proximity to great genius produces pallid copies in progeny. Evidence to the contrary is found in music (the Bacas, to whom brilliant musicians were born for two centuries), medicine (the do'Maio line), and literature (the DoumasЧfather, two sons, and five granddaughters). The Serrano artistic tradition has lasted for over a hundred years. Yet the Grijalvas are unique, for few are their males who evidence no talent for art.
Intermarriage between Grijalvas and chi'patrosЧfor no others would consider the girls as brides or the men as husbandsЧproduced another curious result: by the second generation, approximately half the males were discovered to be sterile. This has been attributed to inbreeding and some strange lingering effect of Nerro Lingua, but no one knows for certain.



. Until 875, it was traditional to gift a bride with a painting of her
Marriage of Alessio II and marriage. This custom was the foundation of the Serrano repute-
Elseva do'Elleon, tion and fortune. It was Liranzo Grijalva who first suggested that
by Saabasto Grijalva, 894. paintings also act as legal certification. Combined with universally
Oil on wood. understood iconography, a picture would be a certificate of public
Galerria Verrada. record.
In these three paintings, separated by a mere thirty years, can
Betrothal of Joao and Miari be seen the evolution of documentary painting and the rich sym-
do'Varriyva, bolism it demands. Though the Marriage is delightful in its sim-
by Yberro Grijalva, 921. plicity, only the bride's flowers show the traditional good wishes
Oil on wood. (roses for Love, ivy for Fidelity, thistles for Sons). The union of
Galerria Verrada. Elleon to Tira Virte is sealed by the union of these two handsome
people, documented in the painting only by the straw motif deli-
Death of Joao, cately embroidered in gold on the curtain behind the couple
by Yberro Grijalva, 924. Contrast this lack of embellishment with the Betrothal of their
Oil on canvas. son Joao. The bride's family sigil, the white chrysanthemum (a
Galerria Grijalva. pun on verro, "truth," and Varriyva), figures prominently in the
embroidery of her gown; she approaches Joao across a vast lawn