19th c. Coloured stuccos and plasters from Grilos' Church (Oporto, Portugal): Materials and techniques employed

The Oporto's St. Lourenço Church of the Jesuit College is locally known, since the St. Augustin Barefooted Eremites occupation (1779/80), as Grilos' Church. The Oporto's siege laid by D. Pedro and D. Miguel (1832/33) succeed in the college abandonment by Grilo's Friars. Throughout Augustin Friars presence period, the white plasters of the nave (end of 18th c.) were executed and it was constructed the Holly Sacrament Chapel (early 19th c.) with neoclassic coloured stuccos and plasters, influenced by Robert Adam, Luigi Chiari and Teixeira Barreto ornamental motifs. Pigments were added to the external layer to imitate the marble and to achieve the “base” colour of the panels. This study of the blue, rose and white stuccos and plasters of H.S. Chapel of Grilo's Church allows carrying out useful database on the original mortars composition by the use of different analytical techniques, important to select the most adequate solutions for restoration interventions. Optical microscopy, XRD, TG-DTA, SEM-EDS, XRF analysis results were considered to identify the composition of different layers and to provide mineralogical, microstructure and chemical characterization of the mortars components and to quantify the binder content in those mortars. These results were compared with collected information on compositions from other sources. This study allowed the identification of the decay causes of decorative stuccos and plaster, suggesting that water retention in the masonries and wooden laths structure of the dome of the chapel is the main factor.

Irmandade de Santa Cecília - Implementação local na segunda metade do século XVIII: Évora e Porto.

Abstract: Professional brotherhoods were a fundamental structure of social organization during the Ancien Regime in Portugal. The traditional guild of musicians - Brotherhood of St. Cecilia - was a case of particular relevance to the musical context over a long period of time and was confirmed as a dominant institution, especially in Lisbon. This study establishes a confrontation across the Statutes of the Brotherhood under the Documents (Compromissos) known since 1749, in order to know (a) changes made by the end of the eighteenth century; (b) local specificities in Évora (1780) and Oporto (1784) according to the model of Lisbon (1749 and 1766); (c) connections to specific musical contexts. Resumo: As irmandades profissionais constituiram-se como uma estrutura fundamental de organização social durante o Antigo Regime em Portugal. No caso dos músicos a Irmandade de Santa Cecília afirmou-se como um caso de particular relevância para o estudo do sistema de organização e valorização de atividade confirmando-se como uma instituição dominante, sobretudo em Lisboa. Neste estudo estabelece-se um confronto entre os Estatutos da Irmandade segundo os Compromissos conhecidos desde 1749, no sentido de conhecer (a) alterações introduzidas até finais do século XVIII; (b) especificidades locais em Évora (1780) e Porto (1784) de acordo com o modelo de Lisboa (1749 e 1766); (c) relação com contextos musicais específicos.

Arquitectura, materiales y mercados en Andalucía (s.XIX)

En Andalucía, así como en el resto de España, durante el último tercio del siglo XVIII y los primeros 40 años del siglo XIX se difunde el neoclasicismo académico promovido por una nueva burguesía que lo asume como estilo propio. Se trataría de la primera encarnación artística de la Ilustración y utilizaría como materiales predominantes el ladrillo, la piedra o la madera. Así se construirán los primeros mercados de abastos de este siglo hasta que poco a poco, entre los años 40-60, se fuera introduciendo el hierro como material predominante -aunque lejos del desarrollo industrial europeo debido entre otras cosas, a la fuerte dependencia que tenía España con el extranjero para abastecerse de este material-. Con esta comunicación se pretende dar a conocer parte de una profunda investigación sobre la evolución de los sistemas constructivos de los mercados de abastos en Andalucía durante el siglo XIX. Se ha realizado un importante trabajo de campo y se han estudiado las fuentes orales y escritas -si bien es cierto que muy escasas en la provincia de Jaén, lugar donde se realizó este trabajo originalmente, lo que implicó que esta investigación fuera inédita-.