Botanical Tour of Christian Art at the National Museum of Ancient Art (Lisbon, Portugal)
Christian works of art, from the middle XIV to early XIX centuries, were studied in order to contribute to a new perspective of the cultural history of plants in Portuguese and European art displayed at the National Museum of Ancient Art (NMAA). The symbolic use of trees, leaves, flowers and fruits...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Technological University Dublin
2020-01-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arrow.tudublin.ie/ijrtp/vol8/iss5/8 |
| _version_ | 1818348662751756288 |
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| author | Luis Carvalho Francisca Fernandes Maria de Fátima Nunes Miriam Lopes Maria Vlachou Paula Nozes Ana Maria Costa |
| author_facet | Luis Carvalho Francisca Fernandes Maria de Fátima Nunes Miriam Lopes Maria Vlachou Paula Nozes Ana Maria Costa |
| author_sort | Luis Carvalho |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Christian works of art, from the middle XIV to early XIX centuries, were studied in order to contribute to a new perspective of the cultural history of plants in Portuguese and European art displayed at the National Museum of Ancient Art (NMAA). The symbolic use of trees, leaves, flowers and fruits in painting, sculpture and tapestry were compared with theological data from the Bible, Apocrypha Gospels and codes of symbols from the XVII to XX centuries, as well as pictorial data from academic literature and photographic databases. We found 40 botanical taxa used as symbols that aimed to reinforce moral teachings and theological allegories. This information makes the NMAA an extraordinary place to promote scientific culture and interdisciplinary studies on the role of plants in art and allowed the creation of a botanical tour of the collections. The data of our research can be used to create botanical tours in other museums as well as be helpful to those who guide visits in art museums. Thus, our research proposes a new agenda for art museums, highlighting routes that can be created by recovering the ancient symbolic meaning of plants. Decoding these hidden symbols can reveal significative messages to those engaged in religious tourism and pilgrimage. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T17:53:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d924777f8b1e4b0abcb8c2a23f553af3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2009-7379 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T17:53:37Z |
| publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
| publisher | Technological University Dublin |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage |
| spelling | doaj.art-d924777f8b1e4b0abcb8c2a23f553af32022-12-21T23:36:25ZengTechnological University DublinInternational Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage2009-73792020-01-0185Botanical Tour of Christian Art at the National Museum of Ancient Art (Lisbon, Portugal)Luis Carvalho0Francisca Fernandes1Maria de Fátima Nunes2Miriam Lopes3Maria Vlachou4Paula Nozes5Ana Maria Costa6Museu Botânico, Instituto Politécnico de Beja, Rua Pedro Soares, 7800-295 Beja, PortugalIHC-CEHFCi Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. de Berna, 26 C, 1069-061 Lisboa, PortugalIHC-CEHFCi Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. de Berna, 26 C, 1069-061 Lisboa, PortugalIHC-CEHFCi Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. de Berna, 26 C, 1069-061 Lisboa, PortugalAcesso Cultura, Associação Cultural, Rua do Regil, 4, 3º Dto, 2805-234 Almada, PortugalMuseu Botânico, Instituto Politécnico de Beja, Rua Pedro Soares, 7800-295 Beja, PortugalArtis-Instituto de História da Arte, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Letras, Alameda da Universidade 1600-214 Lisboa, PortugalChristian works of art, from the middle XIV to early XIX centuries, were studied in order to contribute to a new perspective of the cultural history of plants in Portuguese and European art displayed at the National Museum of Ancient Art (NMAA). The symbolic use of trees, leaves, flowers and fruits in painting, sculpture and tapestry were compared with theological data from the Bible, Apocrypha Gospels and codes of symbols from the XVII to XX centuries, as well as pictorial data from academic literature and photographic databases. We found 40 botanical taxa used as symbols that aimed to reinforce moral teachings and theological allegories. This information makes the NMAA an extraordinary place to promote scientific culture and interdisciplinary studies on the role of plants in art and allowed the creation of a botanical tour of the collections. The data of our research can be used to create botanical tours in other museums as well as be helpful to those who guide visits in art museums. Thus, our research proposes a new agenda for art museums, highlighting routes that can be created by recovering the ancient symbolic meaning of plants. Decoding these hidden symbols can reveal significative messages to those engaged in religious tourism and pilgrimage.https://arrow.tudublin.ie/ijrtp/vol8/iss5/8symbolismbotanyChristian artreligious plantsbotanical tours |
| spellingShingle | Luis Carvalho Francisca Fernandes Maria de Fátima Nunes Miriam Lopes Maria Vlachou Paula Nozes Ana Maria Costa Botanical Tour of Christian Art at the National Museum of Ancient Art (Lisbon, Portugal) International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage symbolism botany Christian art religious plants botanical tours |
| title | Botanical Tour of Christian Art at the National Museum of Ancient Art (Lisbon, Portugal) |
| title_full | Botanical Tour of Christian Art at the National Museum of Ancient Art (Lisbon, Portugal) |
| title_fullStr | Botanical Tour of Christian Art at the National Museum of Ancient Art (Lisbon, Portugal) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Botanical Tour of Christian Art at the National Museum of Ancient Art (Lisbon, Portugal) |
| title_short | Botanical Tour of Christian Art at the National Museum of Ancient Art (Lisbon, Portugal) |
| title_sort | botanical tour of christian art at the national museum of ancient art lisbon portugal |
| topic | symbolism botany Christian art religious plants botanical tours |
| url | https://arrow.tudublin.ie/ijrtp/vol8/iss5/8 |
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