Photograph: Carlos  Monteiro ,  © DDF/IMC,I.P


Name of Object:

Pietà

Also known as:

Our Lady of Pietà

Location:

Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

Holding Museum:

Machado de Castro National Museum

Original Owner:

Church and college of S. Bento, Coimbra

Current Owner:

Museu Nacional de Machado de Castro

Date of Object:

1685–1690

Artist(s) / Craftsperson(s):

Sculptor: Frei Cipriano da Cruz (1645, Braga–1716, Braga); painter and gilder: Manuel da Costa Pereira

Museum Inventory Number:

MNMC1969, E298

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Carved wood, gilded and polychrome, with chisel chasing; sgrafitto and embroidery applied to resin-wax.

Dimensions:

H: 137 cm; w: 152 cm; d: 64.5 cm

Workshop / Movement:

Portuguese Baroque/Benedictine conventual sculpture

Provenance:

Church and college of S. Bento, Coimbra

Type of object:

Sculpture ensemble belonging to an altarpiece structure

Place of production:

Coimbra

Description:

With a preference for sculpture of enormous dimensions that entirely occupy the grand gilded altarpieces of the period, Frei Cipriano da Cruz is considered to be the most extraordinary representative of the National Baroque style.
His sculpture was generally based on models that circulated throughout Europe and can be considered within the context of other depictions of the Crucifixion and Passion of Christ. A monk-sculptor, the Pietà is one of Frei Cipriano's greatest achievements. It exemplifies a theme widespread in Portuguese art in the 16th and 17th centuries, meeting most of the essential Tridentine ideals.
The Pietà belongs to an ensemble of pieces made by Frei Cipriano for the S. Bento Church, which belonged to the college of the Benedictine order in Coimbra and was demolished in 1932.
This ensemble features anatomical details that are typical of Frei Cipriano, in particular the hands and faces. In the Pietà Christ's hands are rough with square-shaped finger nails. His face is framed by abundant curly hair; the S-shaped curls are also present in the beard. The Virgin displays a heavy look; she has high symmetrical eyebrows, a long triangular-shaped nose, and thin defined lips.
The heavy and pyramidal structure of the Pietà is accentuated by the drapery: the red, blue and gold cloak that completely wraps the figure. The drapery is notable in that its decorative motifs correspond with textiles of the period – elaborate brocades and oriental silks. The drapery and embroidery, generally designated as “upholstery”, were pre-made in resin-wax and were applied to the figure later after painting and finishing.
The motif of the artichoke particularly stands out. It imitates the three-bordered brocade of Spanish and Italian origin and is strategically placed on the Virgin's knee to have the greatest visual impact.
According to recent research (Alcoforado and Le Gac, 2003) Manuel da Costa Pereira, who was responsible for painting and gilding the Pietà, often worked with other painters. Further research about them will bring us closer to understanding the originality of Frei Cipriano da Cruz's sculpture.

View Short Description

With a preference for sculpture of enormous dimensions that entirely occupy the grand gilded altarpieces of the period, Frei Cipriano da Cruz is considered to be the most extraordinary representative of the National Baroque style. The Pietà represents one of his greatest achievements.

How date and origin were established:

Archive documents: carving and gilding contracts

How Object was obtained:

By transfer as a consequence of the extinction of the religious orders.

Selected bibliography:

Smith, R. C., Frei Cipriano da Cruz, Escultor de Tibães. Elementos para o estudo do Barroco em Portugal, Barcelos, 1968.
Moura, C., “Uma poética da refulgência: a escultura e a talha dourada”, História da Arte em Portugal, VIII, Lisbon, 1986.
Moura, C., “Frei Cipriano da Cruz Sousa”, Dicionário da Arte Barroca em Portugal, ed. J. Fernandes Pereira and P. Pereira, Lisbon, 1989.
Alcoforado, A., Le Gac, A., Frei Cipriano da Cruz em Coimbra, Coimbra, 2003.
Alcoforado, A., “Imagens e símbolos esculpidos”, Museu Nacional de Machado de Castro-Roteiro, Lisbon, 2005, pp. 46–68.

Additional Copyright Information:

Copyright images: Divisão de Documentação Fotográfica/ Instituto dos Museus e da Conservação, I.P.

Citation of this web page:

Ana Alcoforado "Pietà" in "Discover Baroque Art", Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://baroqueart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;BAR;pt;Mus11_A;14;en

Prepared by: Ana AlcoforadoAna Alcoforado

SURNAME: Alcoforado
NAME: Ana Maria

AFFILIATION: Machado de Castro National Museum, Coimbra

TITLE: Museum Director

CV:
A History graduate, Ana Maria Alcoforado is Director of the Machado de Castro National Museum in Coimbra and Curator of the Sculpture collection since 1989. Her research and publications focus on Portuguese sculpture.

Translation by: Lili Cavalheiro, Cristina CorreiaCristina Correia

SURNAME: Correia
NAME: Cristina

AFFILIATION: Eça de Queirós Public High School, Lisbon and MWNF

TITLE: Senior Teacher, Local Co-ordinator and Vice-President of MWNF

CV:
Cristina Correia is a History graduate and, since 1985, a Senior Teacher of History at the Eça de Queirós Public High School, Lisbon where she also lectures in Portuguese Language and Culture for non-native speakers. From 1987 to 1998 she was involved with youth affairs, primary prevention and the Camões Institute. She is Vice-President and Local Co-ordinator (Portugal) for MWNF.

Translation copyedited by: Mandi GomezMandi Gomez

Amanda Gomez is a freelance copy-editor and proofreader working in London. She studied Art History and Literature at Essex University (1986–89) and received her MA (Area Studies Africa: Art, Literature, African Thought) from SOAS in 1990. She worked as an editorial assistant for the independent publisher Bellew Publishing (1991–94) and studied at Bookhouse and the London College of Printing on day release. She was publications officer at the Museum of London until 2000 and then took a role at Art Books International, where she worked on projects for independent publishers and arts institutions that included MWNF’s English-language editions of the books series Islamic Art in the Mediterranean. She was part of the editorial team for further MWNF iterations: Discover Islamic Art in the Mediterranean Virtual Museum and the illustrated volume Discover Islamic Art in the Mediterranean.

True to its ethos of connecting people through the arts, MWNF has provided Amanda with valuable opportunities for discovery and learning, increased her editorial experience, and connected her with publishers and institutions all over the world. More recently, the projects she has worked on include MWNF’s Sharing History Virtual Museum and Exhibition series, Vitra Design Museum’s Victor Papanek and Objects of Desire, and Haus der Kulturen der Welt’s online publication 2 or 3 Tigers and its volume Race, Nation, Class.

MWNF Working Number: PT 17

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