Teresa Ferreira

Universidade de Évora | uevora · Chemistry Department

A substantial part of our written heritage is threatened by the fact that much of it has been written using iron-gall ink. One such example is the official documents of the Portuguese Inquisition Tribunals, held by the Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo. Here we present the first systematic analytical approach, using SEM/EDS, µ-FT-IR-ATR and µ-Rama...

Exposure to an atmosphere rich in volatile pollutants can endanger collections in museums, galleries, libraries or archives. Monitoring volatile pollutants in museum microclimates remains an unusual practice in most institutions. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be released by many sources, including the artefacts’ materials themselves. The pr...

Three surveys on the occurrence of foxing stains were carried out on papers dating from 1560 to 1975 in three Portuguese collections. Foxed papers were found to be more intensely and intrusively stained in certain time periods of each collection. Based on historical data and on the professional paper conservation experience, the authors linked the...

This study characterises and compares tin-opacified underglaze-decorated tiles from Valencian and Sevillian provenances. This technique, where the cobalt and manganese pigments are applied below an opaque white glaze, was used in the Iberian Peninsula between the 14th and early 16th centuries. The chemical and morphological characterisation of the...

This work focuses on the material characterization of a sixteenth century illuminated antiphonary housed in the Biblioteca Pública de Évora (BPE) – the Manizola 116c. Based on several optical and spectroscopic techniques, namely optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), micro-...

Em maio de 2014 o Laboratório HERCULES numa organização coordenada com a ASCTE – Associação Sócio-Cultural Terapêutica de Évora realizou um workshop sobre pigmentos naturais e artificiais, ministrado por alunos de primeiro e segundo ciclo da UÉ a alunos desta associação. O objetivo foi promover uma prática pedagógica que visava a inclusão social at...

This paper reports the results of a multi analytical research undertaken on a mural and on a panel painting altarpiece authored by José de Escovar in 1603, one of the most productive and controversial painters working for Évora Archiepiscopate at the end of the 16th century and beginning of the 17th century. The two paintings are among his first do...

For the first time, IR reflectography was used for analysing the production technique of incunabula, unveiling impressive results concerning the identification of underprintings and the relation with its coloured illuminated representations. In this work, the procedures followed for producing a late-fifteenth-early-sixteenth century incunabulum pro...

Unveiling the ambrotype: characterization of two 19th century photographs—ERRATUM - Volume 25 Special Issue - Leonor Costa, Margarida Nunes, Sónia Costa, Milene Trindade, Catarina Miguel, Teresa Ferreira

This paper focuses on a collection of reliquary busts integrated in the reliquary sanctuary of Madre de Deus Convent. It explores the ARCAer project which will address this set through its historical, stylistic and iconological study. It will include laboratory analysis of the materials and technologies associated with the production of the sculptu...

The complete characterization of illuminated paints (pigments, extendersin its full composition (pigments, extenders, binders and any other additives) is a challenging task. If for inorganic materials it is often performed using in-situ and non-invasive analysis, for lake-pigment-based paints it becomes difficult to identify them via a non-invasive...

Reliquaries are sacred objects designed to protect the relics of the Saints on the Roman Catholic Church tradition. For cataloguing these objects, it is necessary to use an integrated approach that allows dating them, evaluating the materiality of the set, the relics and valorizing all inherent intangible values and context. From the Middle Ages to...

This work used a multi-analytical approach to characterize two 19th century ambrotypes and was motivated by the lack of insight on these historical objects. Photographic imaging and optical microscopy (OM) were used to identify abrasions, cracks related to reticulation, tarnishing, and other aspects associated to production and degradation processe...

This work explores the combination of µ -Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy with X-ray energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS) for the study of the glazes in 15th–16th century Hispano-Moresque architectural tiles. These are high lead glazes that can be tin-opacified or transparent, and present five colors: tin-white, cobalt-blue,...

Durante o projeto INICI(AR)3 - INiciação à Investigação CIentífica aplicada às ARtes, ARqueologia e ARquitetura, 17 alunos de 1º ciclo dos cursos de Bioquímica, Biotecnologia e Geologia da Universidade de Évora foram integrados em equipas de investigação no Laboratório HERCULES, uma infraestrutura dedicada ao estudo do património cultural. O contac...

This paper reports on a work-in-progress of two seventeenth (or eighteenth) century polychrome sculptures, Santa Rita and Santa Cecilia that belong to the Museum of Évora. A formal analysis of the decorative patterns and punchwork used in the garment’s decoration (estofado) was executed and both sculptures showed similarities. This study aims to co...

For the first time, Hispano-Moresque glazed tiles from Portuguese and Spanish collections were studied together and compared. This work is included in a wider study tackling the technology of Hispano-Moresque tile production from several collections in the Iberian Peninsula. While showing many similarities, differences were identified between colle...

Foxing stains have been a sensitive problem to paper conservators. One of the most complicated decisions is whether to remove these foxing stains. The decision to bleach involves pondering on the aesthetic gain of the artwork’s visibility, versus the somewhat deleterious effect on the ageing properties of its paper support. This study evaluates the...

The second half of the 16th century is a time of transition in the history of tiles in Portugal, marked by the slow decline of the orders from Seville, and the rise of the “new” centres of Lisbon and Talavera de la Reina. In this process, Archbishop D. José de Melo ordered, by the year 1611, a set of blue and white pattern tiles for the decoration...

This work intends to study a set of Hispano-Moresque tile fragments from the Lisbon Roman Theatre Museum collection. The chemical and morphological characterization of the glazes and the ceramic body was presented and also the mineralogical characterization of the latter. The glazes are plumbic, being the opacity of the white and blue colors due to...

The comparative study based on spectroscopic analysis of the materials used to produce four sixteenth-century Manueline Charters (the Charters of Alcochete, Terena, Alandroal and Évora) was performed following a systematic analytical approach. SEM–EDS, μ-Raman and μ-FTIR analysis highlighted interesting features between them, namely the use of diff...

As a part of a multidisciplinary and integrated research, including conservation sciences and history, a proposal is presented for the historical reconstitution and the virtual restoration of the mannerist altarpiece of the main altar at the Espírito Santo Church, in Évora. The collected data is abundant and the scientific information, because of i...

This article reports the preliminary results of a technical and material study carried out on a 17th century panel painting located at the Chapel of the Souls in the main church of Vila Nova da Baronia (30 km away from Évora city, in southern Portugal). This painting is attributed to José the Escovar, a painter that worked for Évora Archiepiscopate...

Knowledge of current conservation materials and methods together with those adopted in the past is essential to aid research and improve or develop better conservation options. The infill and painting of tile lacunae are subjected to special requirements mainly when used in outdoor settings. A selection of the most commonly used materials was under...

Teotónio of Braganza (1530-1602) was the fifth son of Duke Jaime I of Braganza and his second wife, Joana de Mendonza. The Braganza’s were the most important of the Portuguese noble families, which became the 4th and last dynasty of the kingdom. Teotónio rose to archiepiscopal rank in 1544 and became the 4th Archbishop of Évora from 1578 until his...

Deterioration of graphical documents can occur naturally as a result of aging, but it can be accelerated by poor manufacturing constituents or conditions. One indicator of deterioration can be discoloration or staining of the surface [1-3]. Among these paper discoloration processes is foxing, which has been actively researched since the 1930s. Our...

Volumetric and chromatic reintegration is one of the most important but challenging treatments in conservation of in situ glazed tiles due to the need to protect them from water intrusion and further deterioration despise the demanding conditions and requirements needed in outdoor exposure. A set of six infill pastes based on aerial lime, hydraulic...

The Mosteiro de Alcobaça (Alcobaça Monastery, founded in 1153) was built to the image of Clairvaux Abbey, founded by the Cistercian abbot St. Bernard. In many ways Alcobaça mirrored the original concepts of the Cistercian Order, with an austere architectural style and shedding signs of richness. The glazed tiles found on the pavement of the deambul...

A 16th century liturgical cope belonging to D. Teotónio of Braganza (collection of the Museum of Évora, ME 172/1) was selected for a material study. The cope is made of a variety of materials that include two different types of metal threads, dyed silk yarns, and vegetable yarns used in the weft. Several samples from different points representing t...

This work comprises the use of a multi-analytical approach combined with microbiological studies to characterize six paper samples, containing foxing stains, from the 20th century, regarding their cellulose matrix, fillers, and sizing materials, and to evaluate possible paper degradation that might have occurred during the foxing stains. Photograph...

In order to aid research, improve preservation actions and develop better options for future interventions it is important to know the preservation materials and procedures adopted throughout the past and especially the ones being adopted nowadays. A survey to specialists working in situ in preservation and restoration of glazed decorative tiles ha...

This paper describes a mini-project developed with 10th grade Portuguese students where, by using an experimental activity involving the use of natural dyes to colour wool, students acquired a better understanding of the concepts and relationship between the colour, the electromagnetic spectrum, and chemical bonding. As demonstrated by the results...

Two cellulose acetate photographic negatives were studied. Photography under transmitted, raking and UV illuminations in conjunction with optical microscopy, VP-SEM-EDS, ATR-FT-IR, Py-GC-MS and EDXRF were used for analytical characterization. Microbiological studies revealed the presence of three bacteria strains colonizing the negatives. Samples p...

Three paper samples made of rag fibres, rag and bleached softwood fibres, and mechanical pulp, presenting foxing stains, were studied by non-destructive techniques. Fibre disruption was observed on fox spots on one of the samples, while accumulation of calcite particles occurred on another sample. The third sample presented no morphological alterat...

Onion skins (Allium cepa L.) and hydrated potassium aluminum sulfate were used to dye wool samples. The main chromophores associated with this natural dye source, quercetin and quercetin-4?-O-glucoside, were identified in the dye bath and in wool extracts by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) equipped with a diode array detector (DAD) with...

AAS is overall easier to set up and run, with simpler method development and vast bibliography data available. Whenever the researcher needs to choose the analytical methodology to apply to a set of samples, several considerations should be taken into account, namely, analytical performance (detection limits, precision, dynamic range, possible inte...

The late 19th century photographs are chemically a multilayer material of several inorganic and organic compounds. A great variety of composition is observed as consequence of the large number of photographic processes and products that were used in those days as well as resulting of ageing effects. The data about the chemical composition of a phot...

Wool samples collected from thirteen Arraiolos carpets from the 17th–19th century belonging to the National Museum of Ancient Art (NMAA, Lisboa, Portugal) collection were analysed to identify the natural dyes and mordants employed in the traditional dyeing process, in a way to complement and improve actual knowledge on this rugs. Natural dyes were...

Não é consensual entre os historiadores quando se começam a produzir tapetes bordados em Arraiolos mas estes são, no seu conjunto, um objeto de fronteira entre o artístico e o artesanal (Pereira, 1997). O próprio nome do ponto também é enganador. De facto, ele não tem as suas origens na vila de Arraiolos mas é conhecido na Península Ibérica pelo me...

Qualquer tentativa para falar de espaço em química pode parecer uma incursão desnecessária em conceitos de física ou de arquitetura. Que dizer então de território, onde áreas como a biologia ou a sociologia levam a melhor. Porém, o reconhecimento da importância que as considerações espaciais têm em química facilita a sinergia entre esta e outras ár...

An integrated, multi-analytical approach combining the high sensitivity of SR-mXRF, the light element capability of PIXE/PIGE under a helium flux and the spatial resolution of BSEM + EDS was used to characterize chemical composition and corrosion of glass samples (first to fourth centuries AD) from an important, but scarcely investigated, Roman reg...

Many conservation interventions have to consider the filling-gaps operation to remake missing parts of original material and this is still an active topic of debate since it raises technical, aesthetical and ethical issues. A wide variety of materials have been used as fillers, usually in an empirical way, without much knowledge of their characteri...

The Daguerreotype is considered by most of the historians of photography the first invented technique to produce a permanent image using a photochemical reaction. It was developed in France in the decade 1820-1830 by Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre (1787‐1851) and Joseph‐Nicéphore Niépce (1765 – 1833). Daguerre presented this new photographic process...

Até à data existem relativamente poucos estudos sobre os materiais utilizados na produção de iluminuras em Portugal. Entre 2008 e 2011 foram publicados alguns trabalhos relativos ao estudo material do Apocalipse do Lorvão e do Livro das Aves, ambos produzidos em finais do século XII e pertencentes ao Mosteiro de Santa Maria do Lorvão, perto de Coim...

A produção de iluminuras foi uma atividade de extrema importância durante toda a Idade Média na Europa Ocidental, atividade essa que se prolongou no tempo sendo utilizada mais tardiamente em objectos de raro valor e importância. A produção de um manuscrito iluminado era uma tarefa que requeria dos executantes tempo, destreza manual e conhecimentos...

Brazilwood was used in this work to dye wool mordanted with different amounts of copper(II) sulfate, alum and iron(II) sulfate. Two different dyeing methods were used: premordanting (MD) and simultaneous mordanting (M+D) procedures. In order to evaluate the influence of the mordant ion in the brazilein chromophore photodegradation, samples were sub...

This paper reports a preliminary study concerning two brass lamps belonging to the Évora Museum collection and one brass lamp belonging to a private collection. The main objective of this study was to acquire scientific data to assess the production technology used in the making of these lamps. Optical microscopy, X-ray digital radiography and scan...

Wool samples were dyed with madder and alum, copper, and iron salts at different concentration by pre-mordanting (MD) and simultaneous mordanting (M + D) procedures. Samples were artificially aged to identify the influence of the mordant on the madder chromophores photodegradation. A set of analytical techniques was used for complete characterisati...

The efficiency of eight different procedures used for the extraction of natural dyes was evaluated using contemporary wool samples dyed with cochineal, madder, woad, weld, brazilwood and logwood. Comparison was made based on the LC-DAD peak areas of the natural dye's main components which had been extracted from the wool samples. Among the tested m...

Arraiolos tapestries are probably one of the richest artistic Portuguese expressions in terms of textile heritage. It is difficult to date the beginning of the production of rugs in Arraiolos (Southern Portugal), but they were already produced in the late 1600's as they are listed in the inventories of Portuguese aristocratic households in the begi...

A detailed study of the preparation and the characterization of polycrystalline FeCo2O4 and CoFe2O4 samples with the spinel structure, belonging to the Co1+xFe2-xO4 (x = 0; 1) system has been undertaken, in order to evaluate the ionic competition by site occupation and the relation between structure and properties, regarding to their potential use...

FeCo2O4 spinel oxide pelleted electrodes were prepared from the respective powders, obtained by low-temperature coprecipitation method. X-ray diffraction studies suggest the coexistence of two spinel phases, with different a-cell parameters. The samples show semiconductor-type behaviour, in the range 530e340 K. The estimated activation energy for c...

Due to the importance of cation distribution in the physical properties of spinels, a structural and morphological study of the FeCo2O4 and CoFe2O4 spinels prepared by a low-temperature coprecipitation method has been undertaken. Only spinel phases are observed after annealing at 570 K. However, up to 770 K the sample with global composition CoFe2O...

The ability of an abiotic receptor, 7-acetylamino-2-methyl–1,8-naphthyridine, to bind to guanosine was analysed by a combination of NMR determinations and molecular modeling studies. The results indicate that this receptor simulates the base-pairing properties of cytidine in its Watson-Crick interaction with guanosine. Binding of the same receptor...