Considerações técnicas, materiais e artísticas sobre o retábulo da Misericórdia de Almada e o seu pintor

Abstract

Giraldo Fernandes de Prado (about 1530-1592) was a treaty writer, painter of fresco and altarpieces, illuminator, calligrapher and knight educated and serving the Bragança Ducal court. To this painter, with strong Italian education, is due the first treatise of calligraphy in Portugal -- the Tratado de Letra Latina (1560-1561), now in the Columbia University, New York. In 1590-1591 Francisco de Andrada and Manuel de Sousa Coutinho, Providers of Almada’s confernitie of the Misericórdia, made various payments to Giraldo for the six painting of the main altar, which is a very important testimony of Mannerist Portuguese painting. His “criado” and disciple André Peres had collaboration in the execution of some of the paintings. These panels reveal the inspiration in other paintings of Giraldo, such as four tables of the Nossa Senhora da Luz altarpiece of Portalegre’s Cathedral and two panels presumably from the old monastery lóio of Vilar de Frades (Barcelos). Currently under restoration, the Almada’s altarpiece shows interesting specific techniques. The artist highlights its particular way of painting, with unusual techniques at the time, like printing the marks of his fingerprints or the dotted contour of the figures with a white material. The specificities of the altarpiece, and its changes, are part of an integrated study the material and technical characterization combining microanalytical techniques with in-situ area techniques like x-ray radiography and IR reflectography.