Browsing by Author "Manhita, Ana"
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- Exploring a forgotten heritage: the case study of Saint Vincent Martyr's simulacrumPublication . Palmeirão, Joana; Nunes, Margarida; Manhita, Ana; Curto, Ana; Piorro, Luís; Vieira, Eduarda; Ferreira, TeresaThe simulacrum of Saint Vincent Martyr, one of four corpi santi at the Major Seminary of Coimbra, Portugal, features Roman-origin bones mounted in metallic frameworks and covered with intricate Baroque garments. Enshrined within the urn-altar in Saint Michael's Chapel, its remains were exhumed from the Catacomb of Priscila and brought to Portugal in 1760 by Bishop Count D. Miguel da Anunciação. This study employs a multianalytical approach to examine the simulacrum's materiality, construction, and state of conservation. Non-invasive techniques, including digital radiography and borescope inspection, assessed structural integrity and skeletal arrangement. When feasible, micro-samples were collected for laboratory analysis. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy with chemical analysis were used to analyse paper, textile fibres, and metal threads, revealing evidence of both craftsmanship and deterioration patterns. Additionally, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy characterised adhesives, coatings, and pigments, while chromatographic techniques identified dyes in garments and wax components on the face. Results corroborated photochemical damage, textile decay, and structural alterations, with in situ radiographic analyses revealing misaligned skeletal remains. Notably, softwood pulp paper with kaolin and an emerald green pigment in the flower crown points to a 19th-century local intervention after the French invasions of 1810. Furthermore, calcium carbonate in wax and lead-based pigments with iron oxides on the simulacrum's face indicate intentional methods to enhance durability and mimic human features. This study integrates material analysis with historical context to deepen understanding of Saint Vincent's simulacrum, tracing its material transformations and informing future conservation strategies for similar artefacts.
- Material characterization of an 18th-century Roman martyr' reliquary: the case study of Saint Fortunato from Guimarães, PortugalPublication . Palmeirão, Joana; Nunes, Margarida; Manhita, Ana; Coutinho, Maria; Vieira, Eduarda; Ferreira, TeresaThe Roman Catholic Church encouraged the manufacture of life-size reliquaries simulating human bodies to worship and display the bones exhumed from Rome's catacombs (corpi santi) of the allegedly early martyrs of Christianity. Embraced by the Baroque aesthetic, this type of devotional receptacle began to be produced in the late 17th-century and rapidly spread throughout Western Christendom. Portugal was no exception. Between the 18th and the second half of the 19th centuries, dozens of convents, churches, and oratories received the simulated bodies of those saintly heroes. In the last four years, the first author's doctoral research has focused on the historical and scientific study of this typology of reliquaries in Portugal. While establishing a national inventory, the study of historical documentation has shown the Roman origins of the sacred bones, their religious value, and the popular devotions associated with them. As for the scientific research it has highlighted the manufacturing techniques and materials adopted by pious craftsmen. This work aims to present the analytical results on the simulacrum of Saint Fortunato Martyr from Guimarães. This simulacrum was produced during the papacy of Pius VI (1775-1799) as several other simulacra inventoried in Portugal and abroad. A batch of analytical techniques that included Optical Microscopy (OM), Fourier-Transform InfraRed Spectroscopy (FT-IR), High-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with Diode Array Detection and Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-MS), and Scanning Electron Microscopy and X-Rays Microanalysis (SEM/EDX) were utilized for morphological evaluation and chemical compositional analysis of fibres, dyes and metal threads. The results will provide new data for the material characterization of 18th-century life-size Roman martyrs' simulacra.
- The study of two impressive simulacra at Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Almada, PortugalPublication . Ferreira, Teresa; Nunes, Margarida; Curto, Ana; Palmeirão, Joana; Manhita, Ana; Olival, Fernanda; Piorro, Luís; Monteiro, Paula; Vieira, EduardaSimulacra, or full-body reliquaries of corpi santi, have largely been overlooked in the discourse of the past century by the Church, the general public, and scholars. This work investigates two noteworthy cases among simulacra—two young individuals, St. Primogenita and St. Theodore—from Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Almada in Portugal. Based on a historical and analytical approach, the study examines the simulacra context, assembly methods, materials, symbols of martyrdom, and adornments. Their possible arrival in Portugal in the late eighteenth century is supported by the Bishop’s seal and textile features that reflect the fashion of that period. Radiographic imaging and particularly borescope inspections revealed distinct assembly techniques, with St. Theodore displaying meticulous anatomical assembly, while St. Primogenita’s construction is less precise. However, access to the cranium fragments of St. Primogenita revealed an elaborate consolidation method. SEM–EDS, FT-IR, and Py-GC–MS analyses identified a fibrous material coated with a dark brown paste, likely used to bond the unfused parts of the ectocranium fragments of a young individual, as well as a paste applied to reinforce the endocranium. Martyrdom symbols further distinguished the simulacra, with St. Primogenita adorned with a silk petal crown attached using animal glue, whereas St. Theodore’s crown was crafted from pigment-dyed cellulosic materials. LC-DAD-MS analysis revealed the natural dyes used in coloured threads. Only St. Primogenita retained fragments from a phial of blood, where a creative method may have been employed to emphasise the blood content. This investigation highlighted the complexity and artistry behind these simulacra.
- The early Christian Martyrs Martian, Victory and Leonora: studies on three ceroplastic reliquaries from PortugalPublication . Palmeirão, Joana; Nunes, Margarida; Manhita, Ana; Coutinho, Maria; Vieira, Eduarda; Ferreira, TeresaAfter the rediscovery of the Roman catacombs in 1578, thousands of skeletons attributed to the first martyrs of Christianity were massively exhumed from the subterranean galleries of Rome and displayed in sumptuous reliquaries, simulating the martyrs' bodies for public veneration in churches, convents, and oratories throughout the Christian world. Covered with silk, papier-mâché, plaster, wood or wax, the skeletons from the catacombs were splendidly dressed in ceremonial baroque clothes, representing Roman legionaries or virgins, and were exhibited with the signs of martyrdom inside polychromed and gilded wooden shrines. This type of devotional receptacles, as martyrs' simulacra, began to be produced in the late 17th century and were in use till the mid-19th century. In 2019-2020, an in-situ campaign was carried out to study three ceroplastic martyrs’ simulacra belonging to different Portuguese religious and cultural institutions. This was the first in-depth scientific study performed on simulacra reliquaries made of wax in Portugal. The focus of this project was to identify the materials and the manufacturing techniques adopted by pious craftsmen to unveil their complexity from material, technical and decorative points of view. Sampling of different materials was also carried out. Fibres, dyes, wax, and metal threads were analyzed for morphological and chemical characterization using a batch of analytical techniques that included optical microscopy (OM), attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FT-IR), liquid chromatography coupled with diode-array detection and mass spectrometry (LC/DAD/MS), pyrolysis coupled to gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) and scanning electron microscopy coupled with X-rays microanalysis (SEM/EDS). This work aims to present the analytical results on the simulacrum of saint Martian from the parish Church of saint Sebastian (Óbidos), and the simulacra of saints Victory and Eleonora from the Chapel of Our Lady of Mercy from the Palace of Marquis of Pombal (Oeiras). Despite their probable Roman origin, as many other 18th and 19th century martyrs' simulacra already identified in the north and centre of Portugal, the results obtained support a probable national production.