An Artist’s Sketchbook: the former altarpiece of Goa Cathedral (India) attributed to the painter Garcia Fernandes – iconographic and stylistic influences and underdrawing study

Vanessa Antunes; Vitor Serrão; António Candeias; José Mirão; Sara Valadas; Maria Luísa Carvalho

doi:10.14568/cp2018068

Authors

Vanessa Antunes ARTIS-Instituto História da Arte da Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Lisboa (ARTISFLUL), Alameda da Universidade, 1600-214 Lisboa, Portugal; LIBPhys-UNL, Laboratório de Instrumentação, Engenharia Biomédica e Física da Radiação, Departamento de Física, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7240-6956
Vitor Serrão ARTIS-Instituto História da Arte da Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Lisboa (ARTISFLUL), Alameda da Universidade, 1600-214 Lisboa, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8240-6359
António Candeias Laboratório HERCULES, Escola de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade de Évora, Largo Marquês de Marialva 8, 7000-676 Évora, Portugal; Laboratório José de Figueiredo, Direcção-Geral do Património Cultural (LJF-DGPC), Rua das Janelas Verdes 37, 1249-018 Lisboa, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4912-5061
José Mirão Laboratório HERCULES, Escola de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade de Évora, Largo Marquês de Marialva 8, 7000-676 Évora, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0103-3448
Sara Valadas Laboratório HERCULES, Escola de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade de Évora, Largo Marquês de Marialva 8, 7000-676 Évora, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2146-7024
Maria Luísa Carvalho LIBPhys-UNL, Laboratório de Instrumentação, Engenharia Biomédica e Física da Radiação, Departamento de Física, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9004-1134

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14568/cp2018068

Keywords:

Garcia Fernandes, Portuguese painting, Goa Cathedral, Underdrawing, Infrared reflectography, Iconography

Abstract

Goa Cathedral former altarpiece, attributed to Garcia Fernandes and made around 1538, is one of the oldest western pictorial works in India. It is a work of great importance in the establishment of the conquest of Goa by the Portuguese but also for understanding the influence of Portuguese painting overseas. Goa Cathedral former altarpiece is revealed as a crucial study source of Garcia Fernandes' creative process. There is evidence in the vigorous underdrawing of these paintings, of the existence of different types of drawing, as well as abandoned iconographic themes, or formal alterations of compositions. The iconographic and stylistic study evidences north and south-European influences in the choice and representation of the themes around the Martírio de Santa Catarina. In the present study, this work is compared in the making of the underdrawing with other works attributed to Garcia Fernandes.

Received: 2018-12-9
Revised: 2019-6-19
Accepted: 2019-6-27
Online: 2020-7-31
Publication: 2020-7-31

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