A new cripple in Chile?

Minas 247 - A sculpture discovered by chance during a newspaper report. The state of Sao Paulo This is causing confusion among experts: could the wooden image of a Catholic saint be the work of Aleijadinho, the greatest master of Brazilian Baroque art?

The image was found by the São Paulo newspaper a month ago in Santiago. Until now, the Museo Merced in the Chilean capital attributes its authorship to an anonymous artist from Lima, Peru. But experts see in the image a series of coincidences with what are called Aleijadinho's stylistic features (details of the sculpture that function as the author's signature). "I would say there's a 95% chance it's an Aleijadinho," he tells the newspaper. Estadão Businessman Renato Whitaker Machado, the largest private collector of works by the Minas Gerais sculptor in the country, says, "The shoes sticking out of the clothes, certain right angles, the eyebrows, the forked beard." Another expert, Márcio Jardim, is not so sure. "It's not just about saying it has all the stylistic elements of a work by Aleijadinho; it has to fit into one of the five phases of his life," he says.

If confirmed to be by Aleijadinho, the work is estimated to be worth around US$500, or almost R$1 million. Today, the anonymous saint is worth no more than R$80.

Read the report below. Estadão ( click here (to read it on the newspaper's own website):

Could he be?

Located by 'Estado' newspaper in Chile, the image is striking due to its resemblance to Aleijadinho.

What qualifies someone named Aleijadinho to become known as Aleijadinho?

It is a complex issue. The attribution of a work by the greatest master of Brazilian Baroque has followed a winding and controversial path since its acceptance as a national consensus during the Getúlio Vargas government, through the efforts of Rodrigo Melo Franco de Andrade (1898-1969), the first director of the National Historical Heritage Service, in 1936.

A wooden image of a Catholic saint, discovered by chance by a reporter from Estado on March 3rd in Santiago, Chile, has sparked the curiosity of experts and stirred up the established order of its attributions.

The image, according to the curatorship of the small Museo Merced in Santiago, represents Saint Peter Pascual and is said to be by an anonymous artist from Lima, Peru. However, even a layperson's examination of the statue reveals a vast array of coincidences with what has become known as Aleijadinho's stylistic choices (details of the sculpture that function as the artist's signature).

Back in São Paulo, businessman Renato Whitaker Machado, the country's largest private collector of Aleijadinho's works, was enthusiastic upon seeing the photos of the saint in the Chilean museum. "I'd say there's a 95% chance it's an Aleijadinho," he stated. "The shoes sticking out of the robes, certain right angles, the eyebrows, the forked beard, the nose: everything suggests it's an Aleijadinho, but some tests need to be done, a sliver of wood needs to be brought to the Technological Research Institute to determine its provenance," says the collector.

"It affects us, saying it doesn't is a lie," says specialist Marcelo Coimbra, from Itu, who also examined the photos and is even willing to go to Santiago to examine the image. Coimbra believes that "the face is very expressive, it has many stylistic features typical of Aleijadinho; the ears are very good, but that very thick repainting may be hiding stylistic features." He sees the body of the image as closer to the Spanish Baroque. Based on the photo, he doesn't yet fully confirm this possibility, but emphasizes: "A discussion about the Brazilian Baroque is never settled."  

"It's not enough to say that it has all the stylistic elements of a work by Aleijadinho; it has to fit into one of the phases of his life," said expert Márcio Jardim, who (with Coimbra) has just completed the General Catalogue of the sculptor's work. "It's a two-way analysis; you have to see if it fits into any of the 5 phases of Aleijadinho's work."

Jardim is adamant: it cannot be an Aleijadinho. This is because, although there are coincidences, the piece does not fit into the phases that he himself defined (see below) as determining. The problem with the Chilean image is precisely its exuberance. "It has no flaws, it is absolutely baroque and balanced. It is exuberant, not sad, and has a very rich, mystical appearance. It is alive, it seems to move." Based on its maturity, it would belong to the fourth or fifth phases of Aleijadinho's work, but that would be impossible. "In that phase, he is restrained, straight lines predominate, it is sadder. And it is more rococo."

Jardim points out that Francisco Xavier de Brito, the Portuguese master who taught Aleijadinho, possesses identical characteristics, precisely because he was the master, and it is possible to find sculptures by Brito that are erroneously attributed to the Baroque icon.

A piece of Aleijadinho of this size, if it is indeed by the master, would be worth around US$500 (or almost R$1 million). Today's anonymous saint would be worth no more than R$80.

The Museo Merced is receptive to the idea of ​​conducting a more detailed examination of the artwork to determine if it might originate from Minas Gerais. "It will be quite an undertaking," said Rolando Baez, the museum's curator. The newspaper requested permission from Friar Ricardo Morales, the museum's director, to carry out some experiments, but had not received a response by the time of publication.