Characterization of the glaze and in-glaze pigments of the nineteenth-century relief tiles from the Pena National Palace, Sintra, Portugal

The glaze and in-glaze pigments of the historical nineteenth-century glazed tiles from the Pena National Palace (Sintra, Portugal) were characterized using a multi-analytical approach. Chemical composition and microstructural characterization were ascertained by µ-PIXE, µ-Raman, optical microscopy and VP-SEM–EDS. The manufacturing technique and colour palette in these tiles were found to be close to the ceramic pigments used in traditional majolica. The blue and purple colours derive from cobalt oxide and manganese oxide, respectively. A mixture of Pb–Sn–Sb yellow with cobalt oxide and iron oxide was used for green and dark yellow, respectively, while grey tonalities consist of a complex mixture of cobalt oxide, manganese oxide and Pb–Sn–Sb yellow in different proportions. Results obtained allowed the determination of the oxides and elements used in pigments as well as production techniques, resorting to traditional majolica manufacture, although the tiles were produced by the end of the nineteenth century.

O que o estado português quis conservar: a avaliação e aquisição de documentos de arquivo em Portugal nos séculos XIX e XX

Esta dissertação procura identificar os desígnios que orientaram as decisões do Estado português em relação à aquisição de documentos de arquivo, com o objectivo de verificar se esses desígnios se formalizaram numa política de avaliação e aquisição de documentos de arquivo coerente e sistemática. A análise incidiu no Arquivo Nacional e nos arquivos distritais durante o período cronológico que abrange o século XIX e a primeira metade do século XX. Partindo da discussão teórica presente nos discursos de arquivistas e investigadores, da evolução das práticas no Arquivo Nacional e das incorporações realizadas nos arquivos distritais, esta tese defende que existiu uma visão constitutiva dos arquivos enquanto repositórios documentais da memória da nação. No entanto, esta visão não se concretizou numa política arquivística articulada e estrutural; ABSTRACT:This dissertation aims to identify portuguese state’s goals that guided its intervention on acquisition of archival records. Our purpose is to verify if those goals meant a coherent and systematic appraisal and acquisition policy. Our analysis took as object Portugal’s national and regional archives from nineteenth to twentieth century’s first half. Beginning from theoretical discussion that can be seen on archivists and investigators speeches, National Archive’s practices and acquisitions occurred in regional archives, this thesis sustains that there was a vision on the archives as national memory documental repositories. However, this vision was not translated on an articulated and structured archival policy.

A LEITURA NA BIBLIOTECA PÚBLICA DE ÉVORA: UM CONTRIBUTO PARA A HISTÓRIA DA LEITURA EM PORTUGAL (1887-1921)

A Biblioteca Pública de Évora é uma das mais importantes bibliotecas patrimoniais de Portugal, quer pela sua colecção quer por ter sido uma das primeiras bibliotecas a abrir as portas aos leitores. Neste trabalho analisam-se os dados sobre a leitura na Biblioteca Pública de Évora, entre 1887-1921, em particular o número de lei- tores em cada ano, os livros requisitados, as temáticas mais populares, a leitura de jornais e a comparação entre a leitura pública e a alfabetização da população. Como fontes utilizam-se os dados publicados pelo Anuário Estatístico de Portugal, os livros de registo de leitores e visitantes, os relatórios dos bibliotecários e verbetes de leitura. Esta análise tem como objectivo traçar o perfil do leitor da Biblioteca Pública de Évora e contribuir para a caracterização do público leitor em Portugal na transição do século XIX para o século XX.Abstract: The Public Library of Évora is one of the most important heritage libraries of Portugal, both for its collection either by being one of the first libraries to open the doors to readers. This paper analyzes the data on reading at Public Library of Évora, between 1887-1921, in particular the number of readers in each year, the required books, the most popular themes, reading newspapers and the comparison between the public reading and literacy of the population. It is use as sources the data published by the Statistical Yearbook of Portugal, readers and visitors registration books, reports from librarians and reading entries. This analysis aims to draw the profile of reader at the Public Library of Évora and contribute to the characterization of the reading public in Portugal in the transition of the nineteenth century to the twentieth century.

Assessment of environment, land management, and spatial variables on recent changes in montado land cover in southern Portugal

Montado decline has been reported since the end of the nineteenth century in southern Portugal and increased markedly during the 1980s. Consensual reports in the literature suggest that this decline is due to a number of factors, such as environmental constraints, forest diseases, inappropriate management, and socioeconomic issues. An assessment on the pattern of montado distribution was conducted to reveal how the extent of land management, environmental variables, and spatial factors contributed to montado area loss in southern Portugal from 1990 to 2006. A total of 14 independent variables, presumably related to montado loss, were grouped into three sets: environmental variables, land management variables, and spatial variables. From 1990 to 2006, approximately 90,054 ha disappeared in the montado area, with an estimated annual regression rate of 0.14 % year-1. Variation partitioning showed that the land management model accounted for the highest percentage of explained variance (51.8 %), followed by spatial factors (44.6 %) and environmental factors (35.5 %). These results indicate that most variance in the large-scale distribution of recent montado loss is due to land management, either alone or in combination with environmental and spatial factors. The full GAM model showed that different livestock grazing is one of the most important variables affecting montado loss. This suggests that optimum carrying capacity should decrease to 0.18–0.60 LU ha-1 for livestock grazing in montado under current ecological conditions in southern Portugal.

Entre a arte e o engenho: a formação de professores do ensino primário em Évora (1884-1919)

O presente texto pretende dar um contributo para o estudo da formação de professores do ensino primário em Évora, nos finais do século XIX e as duas primeiras décadas do Século XX. Para tal, impõe-se-nos enquadrar a formação de professores do ensino primário em Portugal, caracterizar a rede escolar e os professores do distrito de Évora da segunda metade do Século XIX e, a partir daí, descrever o funcionamento da Escola Normal de 2a classe de Évora, estabelecida no edifício da Igreja de S. Pedro e inaugurada em 1884. Após uma curta existência de oito anos, esta escola foi encerrada e deu lugar à Escola Distrital de Habilitação para o Magistério Primário de Évora, criada em 1896. Apesar de alguma instabilidade institucional (com mudanças nos curricula e na duração da formação), entre 1884 e 1919, estas duas escolas habilitaram dezenas de professores do ensino primário que leccionaram no distrito de Évora. Between art and ability: The primary teachers' formation in Évora (1884 -1919). ABSTRACT: The following text has the purpose of contributing for the study of primary teachers' formation in Évora by the end of the nineteenth century and the first two decades of the twentieth century. Therefore, we first need to understand the frame given by the teachers' formation of the primary school in Portugal, to characterize the school network and the teachers of Évora district of the second half of the nineteenth century and, from that, describe the function of Escola Normal de 2a classe of Évora, established in the building of S. Pedro's church and first opened in 1884. After a short eight years of existence, this school was closed and gave place to Escola Distrital de Habilitação for the Magistério Primário of Évora, created in 1896. Despite some institutional instability (with changes in the curricula and length of the formation), between 1884 and 1919, this two schools qualified several primary teachers for the district of Évora.