The Baroque
This period was the most monumental phase of woodwork in Portugal and Brazil.
With the end of 60 years of forced Iberian unification under the government of the Spanish kings Felipe II, III and IV, the restoration of independence in 1640 and subsequent war, woodcarving in Portugal detached from Spanish baroque models. At difficult economic times, woodcarving gained in meaning, as sculpture and painting were reduced in altarpieces, leaving behind the classical inspirations, taken from international books arriving through Spain. The inspiration is clearly taken from Romanesque and Manueline portals. The design flowed from the first while the decoration adopted the latter's naturalistic style.
The altarpiece resembles a powerful machine, built with concentric archivolts, classical spiral columns (pseudo salomonic), platforms and throne. The decoration is based mainly on dispersed leaves covering the whole set. The altarpiece is undoubtedly Baroque, although presenting characteristics clearly opposed to the Spanish models.
Iberian peace, and the discovery of Brazilian gold and diamonds make Portugal under King D. João V Europe's richest country, allowing the development of international Baroque art in all forms. Portuguese taste adjusted to international models and was baptised "Joanina". It converted the archivolts to trim cut, incorporated sculpture-like angels, garlands, vegetal-like forms, birds and architectural elements. It kept the spiral columns, gallery and throne. The decor is suggestive of sculpture and spreads throughout the church, covering every available surface - vaults, walls, columns, arches and pulpits. Notable examples are scattered from north to south, but the main ones are the Church of São Francisco (Porto) and Church of Santa Clara (Porto). Both were completely covered in baroque gilded woodcarving giving them the look of a golden cave. The most significant examples in Porto are the following:
- Monastery of Arouca.
- Sacrário of Monastery of Alcobaça.
- Igreja da Pena em Lisboa – main altar.
- Igreja de Santa Catarina em Lisboa – main altar.
- Igreja do convento de Nossa Senhora da Conceição de Marvila in Lisbon.
- Madre de Deus convent in Lisbon.
- Oporto Cathedral – main altar .
- Igreja de Santo Idelfonso no Porto – main altar.
- Church of Monastery of São Bento da Vitória in Oporto – main altar.
- Church of São Francisco (Porto) – a golden cave.
- Church of Santa Clara (Porto) – a golden cave.
- Braga Cathedral – monumental organs.
- Mosteiro de Jesus of Aveiro.
- Igreja de Santo António of Lagos – Choir.
The King owned gilded woodcarving carriages, among which are three baroque carriages used by his embassy to the Pope, now in the Museu Nacional dos Coches (National Carriages Museum), in Lisbon.
Read more about this topic: Gilded Woodcarving In Portugal
Famous quotes containing the word baroque:
“The truth is that Mozart, Pascal, Boolean algebra, Shakespeare, parliamentary government, baroque churches, Newton, the emancipation of women, Kant, Marx, and Balanchine ballets don’t redeem what this particular civilization has wrought upon the world. The white race is the cancer of human history.”
—Susan Sontag (b. 1933)
“Prose is architecture, not interior decoration, and the Baroque is over.”
—Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961)