A comparative multi-analytical study of the polychromy and gilding in two baroque altarpieces of Évora, Portugal

• Autor(a) principal: Mangucci, Celso
• Data de Publicação: 2015
• Outros Autores: Sandu, Irina Crina Anca, Manhita, Ana, Cardoso, Ana Margarida, Dias, Luís
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• DOI: 10.34618/ecr.7.9883
• Texto Completo: https://doi.org/10.34618/ecr.7.9883

A dispute among the best five painters-gilders of Evora, for two of the most important contracts regarding the gilding of the altarpieces, gave rise to an extensive and detailed documentation on the technique, materials and prices used in 1729. The rivalry between the master Filipe de Santiago, responsible for the gilding of the whole set of the Church of Mercy (Igreja da Misericórdia de Évora), and the team led by Manuel da Maia, responsible for gilding the main altar of the Convent Church of Scala Coeli’s (Igreja do Convento de Scala Coeli, Cartuxa), forced the commissioners to redraft contracts with unusual rigor since both did not accept the possibility to be examined by the opponent. Physical-chemical characterization of the gilding and polychrome layers of samples from both altarpieces, performed within the GILT-Teller project (www.gilt-teller.uevora.pt), led to a comprehensive approach of the pictorial culture of this period. As it is reported in contracts, the gilded woodcarving was enriched with flesh-coloured tones, “estofado” and “regraxos”. These techniques were both used in the Church of Mercy and in the Church of the Convent of Scala Coeli, of the Carthusian monks of Evora. The documentation and the results of the phsyical-chemical analyses presented in this paper confirm the existence of a common and poorly differentiated artistic culture between the main workshops of Evora.