letrachihualoni (FCbk11f218v)

This iconographic example, featuring a man sitting in a corner writing with alphabetic letters in a bound book is an illustration of how a certain colorant could be used for painting or writing (letrachihualoni), is included in this digital collection for the purpose of making comparisons with related hieroglyphs. The term selected for this example comes from the text near the image in the Digital Florentine Codex. There is no gloss, per se. This example shows a man (probably Nahua) off in a corner, sitting on a (probably wooden) stool with legs, writing with letters (letra) in a bound book. This term is part of a paired construction that refers to painting and writing, and the inclusion of the loanword “letters” makes a conscious distinction between painting and writing that grew through European influence. Note, too, how the man is dressed, in a very European style, with early modern puffy sleeves and very short hair. His clothing is shaded, making it three-dimensional, other European influences.