ZUZARTE - atc. 1787
View of both Ribeira Palace and Alto de São Francisco

View of both Ribeira Palace and Alto de São Francisco
ZUZARTE - atc. 1787
View of both Ribeira Palace and Alto de São Francisco
Indian ink on paper
drawing made with a nib and brush wash; square / boundary lines and various details - some figures, letters and the royal coat of arms that decorate the lower part - made with iron gall ink
trespass, oxidation and stains of the iron gall ink, particularly in the frame / boundary lines and in the details mentioned above; cracks and tears on the four margins of the drawing, but the support has recently been consolidated according to the note below
signed and dated 1787
Dimensões (altura x comprimento x largura) - 55 x 84,5 cm
Notes: 1- The present drawing was part of the exhibition "Lisboa e o Marquês de Pombal", Lisbon: Museu da Cidade, Câmara Municipal de Lisboa, 1982, and is represented in its catalogue, fig. 16. Vd. also: https://comjeitoearte.blogspot.com/2011/11/terramoto-de-1755-lisboa-pombalina.html  (consulted on February 9th at 11:44 am);
2- In 2023 it was the subject of specialized intervention by Atelier SALVARTE, with the objective of cleaning and physically consolidating the support; the same atelier made its oak frame, with an acid-free passe-partout;
3- Three drawings of Lisbon attributed to this author are known: one of Rossio, signed, which was also part of the aforementioned exhibition; and two of Terreiro do Paço, one of which signed - the present drawing; and the other, belonging to the City Museum collection, unsigned and with a completed caption - vd. https://www.dgaep.gov.pt/upload/newsletter/News_10/historia/S0102.htm - consultado a 12-2-2024 às 17:47;
4- The existence of letters on several façades and the absence of a caption on the lower part allow us to deduce that the present drawing was left uncompleted in that part and that it was executed with a view to the subsequent execution of an engraving; in this sense, the abbreviation of the word Fecit is also indicated next to the signature, which is common in engravings;
5 - There is no knowledge that these engravings were ever made;
6 - The circumstance of this drawing representing Terreiro do Paço before the earthquake of 1755 and being dated of 1787 - in iron gall ink, unlike the drawing itself, made in Indian ink - allows us to consider the possibility that the drawing may have been in fact made before the earthquake and signed afterwards; should that possibility be confirmed in the future, the drawing's documental value will be significantly greater.