![]() These collecting activities included a group of stained-glass panels of different origins and sizes, with which he decorated the windows of the Palace’s dining room, very much in the style of the other Saxe-Coburgs’ castles. įerdinand II kept the greater part of the objects acquired in Portugal and overseas-collections of paintings, armour, sculptures, porcelain and others-in his royal residence, the Palace of Necessidades (located in Lisbon). The history of this unique stained-glass collection begins with King Ferdinand II (1816–1885)-born and raised in Vienna, married to Queen Maria II (1819–1843) since 1836, and King of Portugal since 1837 -, who dedicated part of his life to collecting and financing works of art, and his vast collection of glassware and stained glass was a source of pride for him. These stained-glass panels-produced in Central and Western Europe (namely, in the territories of modern Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands)-had been originally installed in churches, monasteries, manor houses, and artisans’ workshops, prior to their installation in the Portuguese Palaces, which is merely a short chapter in their long history. This was the case with Ferdinand II’s stained-glass collection, housed today at the Pena National Palace (PNP). From the eighteenth century onwards, medieval and later stained-glass panels were collected in order to decorate private houses and chapels, often bought in the art market and/or through an intricate network of dealers which grew throughout the nineteenth century. During the Renaissance period, single glass sheet panels and roundels showing themes of family and local interest brought stained glass into a more intimate and domestic setting with highly personalised imagery. In the Middle Ages, stained glass gained an important role with the construction of cathedrals, reaching its peak in the fifteenth century with Gothic architecture. From the beginning, production of stained glass developed side by side with economic, social and cultural innovations. The art of stained glass has always sought to interact with the surrounding space by creating architectural planes that allowed illumination while transforming the experience of light into one specific and meaningful to the purpose of a building. All these findings support the proposals made regarding provenance and production period (fifteenth century). However, less usual was the use of a copper oxide pigment for the black grisaille. A typical mixture of glass and lead oxide was found in the grisaille applied on the painted panels. Through this approach, conclusive correlation between the analysed glasses was possible: all are calcium rich or calcium–potassium rich types, and the results also suggest that the same source of silica was used for their production. The composition of the glass and grisaille was determined and colourising elements were identified. Based on the analysis of the formal and stylistic characteristic of the panels, it is proposed that the drawings used for the production of three of these panels may be based on the design and painting being carried out in the same workshop, and that the four panels have the same provenance (Germany). This study contributes with the knowledge of Technical Art History and Heritage Science to a better and deeper understanding of their history, materials and techniques used in the production, where an art-historical and a scientific approach are applied to attribute their origins. ![]() These panels were collected by the King Ferdinand II in the mid-nineteenth century, for his main residence the Palace of Necessidades (Lisbon, Portugal), and only first presented to the general public in 2011. ![]() ![]() This work presents the first results of the iconographic study and analytical characterisation of a set of four stained-glass panels that are part of the collection of National Palace of Pena (Sintra, Portugal). ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |