Baroque-Style Painted Wooden Ceiling
Depicted on this magnificent Baroque-style, tray-shaped wooden ceiling is Saint Michael the Archangel, patron of the Cathedral Chapter, surrounded by 14 allegorical figures, each personifying a virtue or moral principle.
As seen in the image, each painted figure is enclosed within a wooden frame of octagonal, rectangular, trapezoidal, or other polygonal form. At the center is Saint Michael the Archangel defeating the Devil, immediately flanked by the personifications of Liberty and Authority. Liberty holds a scepter and a hat, whereas Authority holds two keys and a staff. Surrounding them in the outer sections are the remaining twelve allegorical figures: Secrecy, Concord, Reward, Clemency, Wisdom I, Prudence, Divine Justice, Wisdom II, Truth, Charity, Merit, and Solicitude.
Completed in 1737, the oil paintings on wood are attributed to the Italian artist Giovanni Battista Pachini, who based them on allegorical models from Cesare Ripa’s Iconologia, one of the most influential European handbooks for representing abstract concepts as human figures.
Unlike a conventional flat coffered ceiling, the wooden ceiling has a tray-like or coved form (tecto de masseira), with its outer sections sloping inward toward the central plane. The octagonal, rectangular, trapezoidal, and other polygonal painted compartments are incorporated into this geometric structure, creating one of the most impressive decorative features of the Chapter House.
Porto Cathedral Chapter House Images
– Porto Cathedral Chapter House: Magnificent Baroque-Style Painted Wooden Ceiling
– Interior of the Chapter House – A Shining Example of Baroque Decoration
– Porto Cathedral Chapter House: Information Panel about Saint Michael the Archangel
– Porto Cathedral Chapter House: Ornate Wooden Chair in a Window Bay
– Porto Cathedral Chapter House: Hunting-Scene Azulejo Panel with a Large Wooden Stand
Explore More About Porto Cathedral
– Porto Cathedral: A Unique Blend of Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque Styles
– View of the Interior Showing Romanesque Nave and the Baroque High Altar
– View of the Interior Showing Romanesque Nave and Rose Window
– West Façade with Rose Window and Twin Bell Towers
– Sanctuary with the Magnificent Baroque High Altar
– Rose Window and Pipe Organ
– The Ribbed Vault Above the Crossing
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