Cultural Heritage of Old Europe - discover in Portugal! Barocco style masterpieces.

Portugal developed unprecedented versions of Baroque style in the world of art – in the fields of azulejo tiles and carved gilded wood. Azulejo tiles – an extremely rich iconographic culture that runs alongside the tradition of great canvas painting – focused primarily on religious themes: the history of the lives of the Saints and cy cles dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the Life of Christ. The main profane themes focused on mythology and fables, in particular the fables of La Fontaine, explored in azulejo tiles such as those in the Church of S. Vicente de Fora, and also linked to programmes imposed by commissioners in the domestic space of their gardens and palaces.

Ornamentation and compositional formats, introduction of “gallant scenes”, “hunting scenes”, more or less stereotypical landscapes, sometimes exotic, originated autonomous motifs with countless variations such as the so-called “invitation figures” (figures de convite) - life-sized representations of people adopting gestures of etiquette, as they receive visitors, located at room entrances or staircase landings. This deceptive naturalism and apparent ingenuity, established azulejo work as one of the most characteristic Portuguese styles.

The reign of D. João V was marked by implementation of a utopia in the world of art, whose initial seeds had been sown in 17th century politics. This was the only explanation behind major ventures such as the Royal Convent of Mafra, one of the largest palatial and monastic buildings in Europe. The characteristic elements of Portuguese Baroque - carved gilded wood and ornamentation of churches with azulejo tiles – directly descended from this desire to create a “golden age”. It also derived from a very real access to gold, imported from Brazil.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, carved gilded wood transformed church interiors, which often had unique layouts, thus conferring them with luminosity and spatial energy. A classic example is the Library of the University of Coimbra, whose interior was transformed through the use of carved gilded wood. A wide array of altar-pieces were installed in all styles of Portuguese churches throughout the 17th century. Derived from mannerist altars and altar-pieces - stable, firm and of classic taste - the Portuguese style altar-piece ended up by replacing slower, heavier and expensive models, executed in stone by Italian Baroque sculptors.

However, the  Portuguese style should not be viewed as a poorer or imitative version of its predecessors. On the contrary, it included original motifs and was based on unique compositions. The splendour of the gilding, the greater or lesser depths of the hand carved ornamental motifs, constitute the backdrop for the key architectural elements: the arches and door-jambs – thick, repeated, staggered in depth; tribunes constituted by several steps, raising up to great height in a curious play of different scales and monumental display; the throne, upon which the statue of the patron saint was placed; Solomonic columns, decorated with vines and small angels.

In the same manner, the Enlightenment spirit fostered by the Marquis of Pombal during the reign of D. José (1750-1777), formed part of a broader Baroque strategy, especially if one considers his urban-planning proposals. 

The key impulse behind this avant-garde movement was the unprecedented catastrophe, whose impact was felt throughout the world – the brutal 1755 earthquake that devastated Lisbon. Some commentators viewed the Earthquake as a sign of the end of the world. For others, however, it was an opportunity to secularise a society that was atavistically entrenched in profound religiosity.

Discover this great world heritage and see it in real life in Portugal! 

by visitportugal