The Museo Soumaya's own record states that Minas de Real del Monte, Hidalgo was commissioned by John Hitchock Buchan. It subsequently belonged to a private Mexican collection and entered the Museo Soumaya collection through Sotheby's New York in 2011.
Arriving in Mexico in 1855 CE, Eugenio Landesio was a prominent painter and art teacher of the 19th century. He was born into a poor family of silversmiths at Altessano, near Turin, in northern Italy (1810 CE). Initially a craftsman, Landesio later turned towards painting due to his intense fascination for drawing. Landesio's early aesthetic development was influenced by the European romantic landscape tradition, as he was mentored by the French romantic painter Amedee Bourgeois and subsequently became a pupil of the Hungarian landscape painter Karoly Marko the Elder, attaining exposure to his intimate pieces exhibiting picturesque visuals. Landesio's career changed drastically after being invited to Mexico by his contemporary, the eminent painter; Pelegrin Clave; then director of the painting department at the Academy of San Carlos in Mexico City. Landesio and Clave's acquaintance can be traced back to the artistic circles of Rome. His arrival in Mexico is considered immensely significant due to numerous factors, firstly, because of his efforts, the landscape genre was given a much more systematic and autonomous position within Mexican academic art. There are several other reasons but one cause that cannot be overlooked, is the impact he had on future generations of artists and the overall evolution of Mexican visual traditions. The artwork titled "Real del Monte Mines, Hidalgo" is part of a group of artworks of particular importance that Landesio produced in the Mexican mining region of Hidalgo during the 1850s. Real del Monte, today commonly known as Mineral del Monte was a principal silver mining centre of 19th century Mexico. The composition is a broad panorama wherein Landesio captures the human settlements that are blending into the natural environment. The foreground is exhibited by people cutting down wood and horses carrying materials to and from the mining site. The middleground and background contain the characteristic elements of a mining settlement; chimneys, industrial structures, mining installations and transportation infrastructure are incorporated into the warm, hilly landscape. A water wheel or noria is visible among the industrial features, while a mountainous terrain surrounds the entire mining complex. The treatment of colour presents the natural environment as powerful, sublime and emotionally evocative. Though vastly different in terms of medium, time and painterly intuition, parallels with the Chinese landscape tradition can be drawn, as the warm earthy tones remind one, of the visuals created during the development of the monumental mode of landscape painting during the Song dynasty. The mining landscape consequently represented much more than a panoramic scenery, it embodied the economic importance of mineral extraction, industrial activity and the aspirations of Mexico's 19th century commercial elite, transforming into a visual document of the region. Landesio can firmly be acknowledged as a trailblazer or pioneer in the Mexican context, as he laid the foundation for the unique landscape tradition that developed distinctively within Mexico following the contribution of his student; Jose Maria Velasco who became one of the most widely celebrated landscape painters from Mexico. Landesio's aesthetic ideals had a profound impact on Velasco and he embraced the complexion with which Landesio emphasised on topographical empiricism and panoramic detailing, while consciously incorporating nationalistic narratives in his works which made his compositions increasingly layered and critical, empowering fellow contemporaries and future generations to use their artworks, not just as mere mediums of expression but as tools to evoke sentiment among the viewers or the common masses and implement narratives that will drive them to take action.
Real del Monte Mines in Hidalgo, Mexico, reflect the region’s long history of silver mining and colonial exploitation. The rugged mountainous landscape, mine structures, and industrial elements convey the harsh working conditions and economic importance of mining. The scene also illustrates how mining shaped local communities, architecture, and Mexico’s colonial economy.
