16 th century azulejos excavated in Lisbon : a tile with arabesque designs found at Terraços do Carmo (original) (raw)
Related papers
The many questions raised by the 16th-century Sevillian azulejos in Igreja de São Roque in Lisbon
Studies in Heritage Glazed Ceramics Nr. 2, 2019
In the interior of Igreja de São Roque (St. Roch Church), in Lisbon, can be seen linings of azulejos attributed to the productions of Seville. These form two very distinct groups of panels: one, with tiles painted over a yellow background, is in the nave, near the entrance to the church; and a second one, painted over a white background, is set in the transept, against a lining of punta de clavo patterned tiles. In this paper, the authors identify the sets that make up each group, point to their peculiarities, present the results of an analytical study and discuss their possible common provenance and chronology. It is also wondered: why buy from Seville what could be acquired in Lisbon?
Study of a finding of 16th century azulejo panels at the Cathedral of Setubal in Portugals
Studies in Heritage Glazed Ceramics Nr. 2, 2019
A series of disperse renaissance azulejos with designs outlined in blue and black against a yellow background, secluded by the basal wall of the altar of the Igreja de Santa Maria da Graça, Cathedral of Setúbal, near Lisbon, were recently unveiled. The azulejos were probably once part of a chapel lining that was removed, and some were re-applied here at an unknown date. They were spread without any concern whatsoever about continuity because they were not intended for visibility. In this paper, we attempt a partial digital reconstruction of the painting, showing that it includes the representation of two feminine winged figures, together with flowers and fruits. One of the figures is a young lady with butterfly wings, and the other an elderly woman with bird wings. Both have crowns, although of different sorts. We also report the results of a first analytical study of the azulejos and discuss their technological and chronological placement in relation to other 16th century panels from the workshops of Lisbon.
17th century patterned azulejos from the Monastery of Santa Marta, in Lisbon
Journal of Science and Technology of the Arts, 2012
This article is about the Portuguese tilemaking of the former Monastery of Santa Marta de Jesus, currently Hospital of Santa Marta, still in situ. The main goal is the study of the patterned tiles from the 17th century, exploring the documentation as well as the ideas and solutions invented by the tile-layers that applied the tiles on the walls. Also, the authors aim to introduce the new information system for the Portuguese azulejos’ inventory, named Az Infinitum - Azulejo Indexation and Reference System, available online.
From Flanders- the azulejos commissioned by D.Teodósio I, 5th Duke of Braganza (ISBN 978-972-776-453-2), 2012
The Palace of the Dukes of Braganza in Vila Viçosa is decorated with remarkable groups of majolica tiles, attributed to the Den Salm workshop in Antwerp. Some of the panels portray scenes from the biblical Story of Tobias, framed by designs painted against a glossy orange background. One of these tiles is dated “1558”. Other panels, also considered to be part of the same set, have compositions which include coats of arms and medallions with knights or busts, painted against the same orange background. Besides this set, other tiles are known with similar medallions and other designs painted against a matte lemon-yellow background. These tiles have been dispersed and today some are on deposit at the Palace, while others are at the Museu Nacional do Azulejo in Lisbon and still others are in private collections. One of these tiles is signed "F / IAB" and also dated "1558" but it is not certain that the lemon-yellow tiles were all manufactured at the same time. Museu Nacional do Azulejo entrusted a tile from each set to the Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil for characterization. This paper reports the results.
Studies in Heritage Glazed Ceramics Nr. 3, 2021
Although the chronology of the tiling of the Pleasure House of Bacalhôa with majolica azulejos was always known to be around 1565, given the date inscribed in the panel representing the biblical episode of Susanna and the Elders, their provenance as well as the authorship of the figurative panels, remained clouded and open to personal opinion. A previous analytical study of the main panels and linings with patterned tiles of Bacalhôa concluded that some of them could not be ascribed to the workshops of Lisbon at that chronology, differing in terms of glaze and biscuit compositions and micro-morphology, suggesting that they may have been imported. The present paper presents a detailed study of those presumably imported panels and patterned tiles, firstly setting a reference based on the micro-morphological and analytical characteristics of the two panels depicting coats of arms, and then comparing the remaining items with them to verify whether they may be clustered together. Finally, their possible provenance is discussed.
A comparison of the earliest faience tiles produced in Lisbon with earlier and later types
Studies in Heritage Glazed Ceramics, 2019
The manufacture of majolica azulejos in Portugal started, as far as we know presently, during the 1550s by the workshop of Hans Goos, a Flemish potter established in Lisbon as João de Góis. The productions of what we may call the “circle of João de Góis” (maybe only a single workshop, or maybe several sharing the same technology) encompasses a period starting with his own productions before 1560 and lasting at least until the 1580s, possibly beyond. To address the characteristics of those productions and what makes them distinguishable, we have to compare them with those that chronologically preceded or followed it. This article attempts such a study, noting however that the notions of “antecedent” and “subsequent” do not imply a technological connection in the form that the latter is rooted in the former.
A Roman Mosaic Unearthed in Armazéns Sommer (Lisbon). Archaeology and Iconography
Journal of Mosaic Research
Aiming the construction of a new hotel (Hotel Cais de Santarém) using the previous basement of the large storage known as Sommer, located in Rua Cais de Santarém, nºs 40 up to 64, and limited by Rua de São João da Praça northwards and by Travessa de São João da Praça eastwards, in the city of Lisbon, a large amount of archaeological contexts were uncovered that uniquely illustrate the stratification of the city of Lisbon between the Iron Age and the first half of the 20 th century. Concerning Roman urban contexts was found a domus with rooms well preserved with painted walls plaster and a pavement covered with mosaic. In this paper the authors will present the monument and further discussions will take place on excavation levels, iconographic and architectural features.
Medieval Archaeology has grown significantly in Portugal since 1987. This results mainly from a twofold fact: the increasing number of archaeological excavations in the framework of salvage projects and the development of systematic research projects. Despite the recent appearance of Medieval Archaeology in Portuguese archaeological research, the present synthesis is however preceded by a few others that have been published in the last few years (CATARINO, 1995/97, 2002; FONTES, 2002; GOMES, 2002; FERNANDES, 2005a; FERNANDES, MACIAS, 2011). None of these was— or aimed to be —an exhaustive overview. And, once again, this contribution will not, nor could, approach all the works and publications made in the last 30 years. It is interesting to notice that somehow these syntheses reflect the bifocal tendency that can be observed on the subject. As in Spain, Medieval Archaeology in Portugal emerged and developed within two perspectives: the archaeology of Islamic spaces, where the topics of ceramic studies, urbanism and fortifications were the most relevant; and the archaeology of the Christian communities, that focused on the first built manifestations of Christianity (necropolises and temples) and settlement systems, whose approach is closely connected to the study of rock-cut graves, fortifications, and monasteries and churches dated to the beginnings of Portuguese nationality. In the latter, the research is still marked by studies within the History of Art. In my opinion, 1992 indelibly marks the destiny of Medieval Archaeology in the country. Several scientific and social events took place in that year, a fact that enhanced a greater investment in this domain and encouraged researchers. This year also featured the publication of the first volume of the Portuguese journal Arqueologia Medieval (“Medieval Archaeology”) by Mértola’s Archaeological Field. Again in 1992, the “Fourth Meeting of Peninsular Christian Archaeology” took place in Portugal, with the proceedings being published in 1995. Most of the contributions focused on excavation results from Portuguese sites, including an important collection of data on Paleo-Christian contexts. Indeed, the 1990’s marked an important turning point in Medieval Archaeology in the country. A number of factors can be put forward. One was the increasing number of archaeological fieldworks, mainly salvage excavations in urban contexts but also in the framework of the Alqueva Dam megaproject of salvage archaeology. The creation of the Portuguese Institute for Archaeology in 1997 pushed this tendency even further and allowed the funding of multiannual research projects aiming at the study of diverse topics, such as churches and monasteries, regional settlement systems, necropolises, cities and castles. The topic of Medieval fortifications resulted in many publications and archaeological excavations. Already focused by C. A. Ferreira de Almeida (1979), it was followed by M. J. Barroca, who published several relevant papers on the subject (1990/91, 1996/1997, 2003, 2004, 2008/2009). The increase in number of excavation works in Early Medieval churches and monasteries allowed new insights and interpretations on their architectonic and decorative evolutions, which in turn provided new bases for the enrichment of these monuments’ museological discourse. This growing trend in Medieval Archaeology can also be observed in projects focusing settlement systems of given geographical areas or centred in single archaeological sites. Systematic studies of necropolises and rock-cut graves were also carried out. Despite the fact that many researchers attempted to go further than record field data, the most recent theoretical leap is due to I. Martín Viso, who developed new perspectives on the analysis and interpretation of these Early Medieval funerary structures, that are very abundant in the Portuguese territory (MARTÍN VISO, 2007, 2009, 2014, 2017; TENTE, 2015, 2017a). Regarding material culture studies, a substantial development also took place with the increase of publications and thematic meetings, in particular those focusing pottery collections. Unfortunately, the latter are not always accompanied by complete studies of their assemblages—relevance is often paid to exceptional pieces or partial assemblages, thus preventing systematic, comparative studies. Islamic productions have been retaining most of the researchers’ attention. Another topic with a remarkable growth in the last years has been the archaeology of architectures, mostly of religious buildings and castles. According to official regulations, the participation of bio-anthropologists in the excavation of funerary contexts is mandatory in Portugal since 1999. This legal obligation, which runs in parallel with the increasing number of excavations, decisively boosted bio-anthropological and mortuary studies from archaeological contexts. An important development is also noticeable in the study of subsistence strategies, namely based on palaeobotanic and zooarchaeological data. These, however, are still far from systematic. To a great extent, these studies have been limited by the employed field methodologies that often ignore the scientific value of such type of evidence. More than in the case of macrofaunal remains, the (almost) invisibility of botanic and microfaunal remains lies at the core of their (almost) absence in current research. Studies have been more abundant in the domain of zooarchaeology. Here too a stronger focus on Islamic contexts is noticeable, to some extent related to contrasting taphonomic conditions, that are more favourable to organic preservation in the southern half of the country where the presence of Muslim communities was longer and research has been more intensive. Despite the growing number of publications and scientific meetings in the last 30 years, the countless number of field works was not always accompanied by the respective publications. Some of the main published studies can be found in the Bibliography, where the main references are cited. It is also worth mentioning that syntheses, either general or regional, are still lacking. This fact converges into another limitation, which is the scarcity of theoretical reflection that would allow interpretative models to be put forward and the building of a problematizing historical knowledge. However, the future seems promising and it is hoped that the above limitations may be surpassed in the next decades as, in Portugal, we are presently witnessing an increase of academic training in this specific research area.
An Iberian Heritage: Hispano-Moresque architectural tiles in Portuguese and Spanish collections
2017
This is the first archaeometric study comparing Hispano-Moresque tiles from different Portuguese and Spanish collections, no other published one being known at the time of writing. Despite the increasing interest in the Iberian ceramic cultural heritage, a specific study dedicated to architectural tiles was lacking. With this in mind, this thesis offers a first approach on the technological features of these impressive-although somehow undervalued-architectural tiles.