Los tejidos labrados de la España del siglo XVIII y las sedas imitadas del arte rococó en Minas Gerais (Brasil). Análisis formal y analogías.
Antonio Fernando Batista dos Santos


Abstract
Besides to the monumental work of painting of illusionist perspective, that can be seen in the interior of the colonial period churches in Minas Gerais, a different ornamental painting category was developed. The purpose was to complement the decoration of these sacred spaces and to add values of importance, dignity, veneration and respect. This kind of painting had as model, the floral motives of hand worked silk, which pieces were considered divine and notably precious objects among the sacred goods of the Church. Traditionally, at previous times, the decoration of these sacred spaces was done by covering those with silk fabrics. The silk was considered full of greatness and nobility. At Minas Gerais, the necessity to replace the lack of these precious silks, damasks, brocades and espolinados, and also other fabrics destined to cover the ceiling and frontal of altars, niches, sacrariums and oratories, resulted on the ornamentation of these divine spaces by using silk imitation paintings. The difficulty to have real silk fabrics was compensated by the mastery of the painters who, with ability, great creativity and proficient control of polychromy and gilding, were able to magnify and to glorify those sacred spaces on a very singular way, with same dignity and importance. The present Doctoral Thesis is a result of the necessity to enlarge the knowledge on this painting category, as well as to study the possible influences and comparisons with the true fabric. For this reason, this study began with a detailed research on the silk fabric produced in Spain during the XVIII century, with the identification of textile techniques and characterization of its constituent elements. After that, we investigated in order to establish formal correlations of characteristics of its colorful floral motives, its contrasts and great gracefulness, with the floral compositions of luminous tonality and of refined Rococo’s inspiration, present in ornamental paintings inside the colonial period churches of Minas Gerais. This research, besides to make possible the identification and to deepen in the knowledge of these two work categories, had the aim to increase their worth, to restore their real importance and to attain their preservation as goods of cultural value.