La escultura "Ternura" del Maestro Lagoa Henriques
: estudio y metodología de conversación

Student thesis: Master's Thesis

Abstract

The case study of this dissertation is “Ternura”, an art work by Lagoa Henriques, a remarkable Portuguese sculptor of the XXth century. This artwork belongs to the Fine Arts Faculty Museum, integrated in the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Oporto. The sculpture has experienced important structural alterations, during its exhibition outdoor in the faculty garden for 58 years, mainly due by ageing environmental contamination, temperature and moisture. These deterioration agents led “Ternura” to a worrisome condition putting its stability in a risk level which could have caused the collapse and total loss of the artwork. The aim of our conservation work aimed to recover its material –consistency to guarantee its stability and carry out the restitution of the lacunae towards its proper artistic fruition. In order to achieve these goals, a study of the material alterations of “Ternura” was made to the correct framework of the conservation work. A multidisciplinary team of professionals of Physics and Chemistry, Microbiology, Civil Engineering and Conservation of Sculpture was gathered to accomplish the best outcomes from a theoretical, practical and ethic point of view. To obtain information about “Ternura” and its alterations, some techniques were useful: Optical Microscopy (MO), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-Ray (FE-SEM-EDX), Micro X-Ray Diffraction (micro XRD), algae and fungi cultures for analyses of biological samples; some essays of the concrete under Civil Engineering’s standards were also necessary. The results of all these analyses led to the establishment of a protocol suitable for the conservation of the sculpture. Furthermore these protocols and the acquired experience with Ternura’s intervention made possible the achievement of general guidelines the intervention and preservation of reinforced concrete sculptures, which we hope, can be a valuable support in the future -conservatorsrestorers with the treatment of this kind of artworks.
Date of Award14 Jul 2016
Original languageSpanish
Awarding Institution
  • Universidade Católica Portuguesa
SupervisorEduarda Vieira (Supervisor), José Carlos Frade (Co-Supervisor) & Manuel Vieira (Co-Supervisor)

Keywords

  • Sculpture “Ternura"
  • Reinforced concrete
  • Corrosion
  • Carbonation

Designation

  • Mestrado em Conservação e Restauro de Bens Culturais

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