N.º 23 2016 pp. 79-88

Article
The theatre of ethics and memory: intervention problems in the "Triptych of Life of Christ", belonging to the church of Saint John, the Baptist, Tomar, attributed to the workshop of Quentin Metsys

Erica Eires^1,*, António João Cruz^1,2, Carla Rego¹

¹ Laboratório de Conservação e Restauro, Instituto Politécnico de Tomar, Estrada da Serra, 2300-313 Tomar, Portugal

² Laboratório Hercules, Universidade de Évora, Largo Marquês de Marialva, 8, 7000-809 Évora, Portugal

* erica_eires@hotmail.com

Abstract

The "Triptych of the Life of Christ", belonging to the church of Saint John, the Baptist, in Tomar (Portugal), is dated from the early 16th century and attributed to the workshop of Quentin Metsys. When the current intervention of conservation and restoration started, it featured large retouching, significantly altered, which posed several ethical questions. What to do with these retouchings was the main problem, for which a solution was not evident. They must be assumed as part of the triptych's history and kept, despite the problems? Or should they be removed? All or just some of them? Ultimately, how to respect the authenticity, memory and profession's ethics? This is what we intend to discuss.

Keywords

Painting
Retouching
Alteration
Removal
Intervention

Language

Portuguese

Original title

O teatro da ética e da memória: problemas de intervenção no "Tríptico da Vida de Cristo", da igreja de São João Baptista, em Tomar, atribuído ao entorno de Quentin Metsys

DOI

10.14568/cp2015025

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Citation

History

Received: 2015-12-22
Revised: 2016-7-15
Accepted: 2016-7-17
Online: 2016-7-25
Publication: 2016-7-28

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Stable url: https://doi.org/10.14568/cp2015025