4 research outputs found
Eighteenth century technological efficiency: the reuse of Brazilian sugar chest wood in Portuguese cabinet manufacture
We studied decorative Portuguese furniture from the 18th century ClĂ©rigos Church in Porto, to identify the woods used, to analyze their possible origin and understand the criteria for wood choice, according to sample location. We identified wood from Acacia sp., Castanea sativa, Couratari sp. and Dalbergia nigra. D. nigra, Acacia sp. and Couratari sp. may have arrived from Brazil, according to their natural distribution and the Portuguese colonial routes; C. sativa was abundant in the North Region of Portugal. In the 18th century, golden metal brass over black furniture was in fashion in Portuguese ecclesiastical cabinet making. Due to its dark colour, Dalbergia nigra was a desirable wood for the exposed structures of ecclesiastical furniture, such as top drawers and top tables. Couratari is a pale wood. Therefore, it was used in the inner structure of the drawers and legs. Acacia wood was also used in internal parts due to its durability. C. sativa was local and extensive; its wood was used in the inner structures, where it could not be seen. Marks were found in the Couratari wood, which indicated that the timber from chest boards employed to carry sugar from Brazil to Portugal was reused. The high silica content of Couratari wood makes it ideal for building âsugar chestsâ.POCI 2010 (Programa Operacional CiĂȘncia e Inovação 2010). Government and the European Union by the FEDER (Fundo Europeu para o Desenvolvimento Regional). Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Wood identification of 18th century furniture. Interpreting wood naming inventories
The 18th century Portuguese church furniture represents an extraordinary richness
recognised worldwide, which demands safeguarding and valorisation. The identification of
the wood of furniture artworks is the most important component for its comprehension and
preservation. In this work wood anatomical characters of an 18th century Portuguese
decorative furniture set from the Colegiada de SĂŁo Martinho de Cedofeita, in Porto, were
analysed to identify the woods used for manufacturing and to clarify their common names.
Furthermore, the objectives were to recognise some of the criteria for choice of wood as well
as the source of each wood. The woods identified from 16 fragments belong to Apuleia sp.,
Acacia sp., Neolamarckia sp. and Castanea sativa. Apuleia sp. and Acacia sp. woods most
likely arrived from Brazil, while the Neolamarckia sp. woods likely arrived from India and the
C. sativa woods from Portugal. The results are in accordance with the known Portuguese
colonial sea routes of the 15th -18th centuries. Interestingly the terms found in the inventories
can refer to finishing methods instead to the name of the woods, as for instance âoil woodâ
can refer to âoiled woodâ or âlinseed oiled woodâ. The species choice may be related to the
mechanical properties of the wood as well as the original tree size. Two large planks of
Acacia sp. were used for the top of the âPortuguese arcazâ, and Apuleia sp. was found on
main structural elements of this set of furniture, suggesting that wood colour was also
important. Woods from Neolamarckia sp. and C. sativa, were also identified, being Castanea
wood present only in the most recent pieces of the furniture set
GuĂa para la introducciĂłn de la perspectiva de gĂ©nero en la docencia de la Universidad Pablo de Olavide
Universidad Pablo de Olavid
Wood Identification of 18th Century Furniture. Interpreting Wood Naming Inventoires
The 18th century Portuguese church furniture represents an extraordinary richness recognised worldwide, which demands safeguarding and valorisation. The identification of the wood of furniture artworks is the most important component for its comprehension and preservation. In this work wood anatomical characters of an 18th century Portuguese decorative furniture set from the Colegiada de SĂŁo Martinho de Cedofeita, in Porto, were analysed to identify the woods used for manufacturing and to clarify their common names. Furthermore, the objectives were to recognise some of the criteria for choice of wood as well as the source of each wood. The woods identified from 16 fragments belong to Apuleia sp., Acacia sp., Neolamarckia sp. and Castanea sativa. Apuleia sp. and Acacia sp. woods most likely arrived from Brazil, while the Neolamarckia sp. woods likely arrived from India and the C. sativa woods from Portugal. The results are in accordance with the known Portuguese colonial sea routes of the 15th -18th centuries. Interestingly the terms found in the inventories can refer to finishing methods instead to the name of the woods, as for instance âoil woodâ can refer to âoiled woodâ or âlinseed oiled woodâ. The species choice may be related to the mechanical properties of the wood as well as the original tree size. Two large planks of Acacia sp. were used for the top of the âPortuguese arcazâ, and Apuleia sp. was found on main structural elements of this set of furniture, suggesting that wood colour was also important. Woods from Neolamarckia sp. and C. sativa, were also identified, being Castanea wood present only in the most recent pieces of the furniture set