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Dendroarchaeology applied to the Portuguese cultural heritage between the XV and XIX enturies: paintings and musical instruments as witnesses of artwork and wood trades between Portugal and Europe

Publication . Lauw, Alexandra Maria Rodrigues Ferreira; Pereira, Helena Margarida Nunes; Candeias, António José Estevão Grande; Santos, Maria Cristina Morais Penas Nabais dos; Antunes, Vanessa Henriques; Oliveira, Vanda Cristina Paiva Tavares de

The current study focuses on the dendrochronological dating of seventy Portuguese and foreign artworks from the XV to the XIX centuries from public and private collections. Among the artworks examined are a collection of 34 Portuguese and Flemish paintings, as well as 36 musical instruments of Portuguese and foreign construction. The study investigates the wood's provenance within the historical context of Portuguese maritime commerce with Europe. This research aims to develop a reference chronology, which will be useful for future dendrochronological studies, with a focus on artworks on Baltic oak wood support. The adopted methodology took into consideration the impossibility of obtaining samples from artworks and musical instruments, as well as the restrictions to their handling. Therefore, the dendrochronological analysis was based on direct observation using photographic and video material adapted to the size and shape of each piece, followed by statistical processing by ARSTAN, COFECHA, TRiCYCLE, and TSAPWIN software. The dating of each piece and the study of the dendroprovenance used public and restricted access reference chronology databases. The results obtained from the study of the support of Portuguese and Flemish paintings reinforce their chronological attributions and confirm the use of Baltic oak. The dendrochronological data obtained from these pieces, in conjunction with data provided by the IJF-DGPC and research projects conducted by the CEF-ISA, enabled the construction of a reference chronology spanning between the years 1149 to 1599. The pioneering dendrochronological study on Portuguese violins, cellos, and pianofortes from the XVIII and XIX centuries corroborates the historical dates inscribed on the respective musical instruments. It also revealed that the Portuguese workshops used woods from the Alpine region of Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and Italy, which is consistent with the several historical sources on the Portuguese maritime trade with Europe. In conclusion, dendrochronology based on artworks enabled the construction of historical knowledge, as well as the interpretation of paintings and musical instruments as evidence of goods traded between Portugal and Europe between the XV and XIX centuries.

2022Tese de doutoramento

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Entidade financiadora

Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

Programa de financiamento

OE

Número da atribuição

PD/BD/52694/2014