The director of the National Museum Machado, Sandra Costa Saldanha, announced that the restored pieces are polychrome wooden sculptures from the 17th and 18th centuries.
“The set of 16 restored pieces all originate from former religious houses in the Central Region and also Lisbon. There are primarily six main sources of these pieces, from different colleges, convents, and chapels,” she highlighted.
This afternoon, the National Museum of Machado de Castro showcased the results of the restoration campaign “I Support a Work,” launched in 2022 by the museum’s Friends League, which facilitated the restoration of 16 sculptures.
The campaign raised approximately 30,000 euros, with partnerships involving the Professional Training Center for Handicrafts and Heritage – CEARTE, Samthiago Workshop – Conservation and Restoration, and the Polytechnic Institute of Tomar.
Sandra Costa Saldanha emphasized that the initiative held special significance in social responsibility and public awareness regarding heritage preservation issues.
“The pieces were desperately in need of attention both in terms of conservation and the aspect of increasing knowledge,” she added.
The restored pieces can now be viewed in the exhibition titled ‘[S]em Reserva[s]: Patrimónios Revelados’, which will be on display at the National Museum of Machado de Castro until July 25.
“This exhibition not only presents the renewed, restored, and researched pieces—because a study and investigation on these pieces was also conducted—but it also places them in context. We have added other pieces with the same origins to the restored pieces, unveiling some additions with other items from the reserves and some lenders for this exhibition,” she stated.
Among the restored pieces, which range in height from 50 to 80 centimeters, there are depictions of Saint Stephen, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the Holy Family (three pieces), Saint Theotonius, and the Immaculate Conception, among others.
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