Decorative dynamics by Cyrillo Volkmar Machado (1748-1823) in the Palace of Jacinto Fernandes Bandeira

Abstract

In the year 1793, having accomplished the construction of his Palace, Jacinto Fernandes Bandeira began the project of interior decorative process. He ordered high quality decorative objects, and hired some of the best artists in Lisbon to embellish the walls and ceilings of his new house, making use of allegorical-mythological themes quiet in vogue in the second half of the eighteenth century. From this endeavor was born a peculiar testimony of immovable heritage, one the most complete in the city of Lisbon at the level of decorative arts. In the cycle of mural painting of the Porto Covo Palace we find in its ceilings histories of renowned artists of the classic Greek age and as well characters of ancient mythology imaginary. And, in this way, the incorporeal wins original contours, in accordance with the individual universe of the artist Cyrillo Volkmar Machado, diffusing subliminal messages that go against his anxieties and the social-cultural circumstances of his time.