Papers by Hugo Miguel Crespo
Os autos-de-fé de Ancona, entre Abril e Junho de 1556, durante o pontificado de Paulo IV, constit... more Os autos-de-fé de Ancona, entre Abril e Junho de 1556, durante o pontificado de Paulo IV, constituíram um dos episódios mais trágicos da diáspora sefardita na Península Itálica, no qual foram martirizados cerca de três dezenas de judeus portugueses. Os comissários papais começaram por apreender, inventariar e avaliar os bens de inúmeros membros da comunidade judaico-portuguesa, entre os meses de Agosto e Novembro de 1555, pouco depois da ascensão do cardeal Carafa ao sólio pontifício. Entre aqueles que viram os seus bens arrolados (subsistem 48 inventários), encontram-se dois reputados médicos, Amato Lusitano e Francisco Barbosa, e um boticário, Joseph Molcho, um dos mártires dos autos-de-fé. Este trabalho pretende fazer a contextualização destes acontecimentos, centrada na situação particular vivida por estas três figuras da Nação Portuguesa, bem como proceder ao estudo circunstanciado dos inventários dos seus bens. Raros testemunhos documentais dos ambientes domésticos e profissio...
Following the mysterious death in 1551 of Bhuvanekabāhu VII, a thorough inventory of the Ceylones... more Following the mysterious death in 1551 of Bhuvanekabāhu VII, a thorough inventory of the Ceylonese royal treasury was drafted by Simao Botelho for the Portuguese State of India (the Estado). Although published in full by Sousa Viterbo in 1904, it has received little attention from scholars. Published in its original sixteenth-century Portuguese language and teeming with long forgotten words and an exotic vocabulary of Asian origin, the inventory has remained almost unknown since it was first printed. Meticulously drafted, it contains the inventory of the monies, gold pieces, and jewels removed from the royal treasury and also the treasury of the private royal temple. The present chapter aims to provide the first systematic analysis of its invaluable art historical content.
Agora-estudos Classicos Em Debate, 2012
The autos-de-fe which took place in Ancona, between April and June 1556, during the pontificate o... more The autos-de-fe which took place in Ancona, between April and June 1556, during the pontificate of Pope Paul VI, stand out as one of the most tragic episodes of the Sephardic Diaspora in the Italic Peninsula in which about three dozens of Portuguese Jews were slaughtered. The papal commissioners began by confiscating and drawing up an inventory and estimating the possessions of numerous members of the Jewish-ortuguese community, between August and November 1555, shortly after cardinal Carafa ascended to the pontifical solium. Among those whose possessions have been listed (there are 48 extant inventories) one finds the names of two prominent physicians, Amato Lusitano and Francisco Barbosa, and that of an apothecary, Joseph Molcho, one of the martyrs of the autos-de-fe. This study seeks to contextualize these events by focusing on the particular situation experienced by these three personalities of the Portuguese Nation, as well as to provide a thorough analysis of the inventories o...
Hugo Miguel Crespo (ed.), A Arte de Coleccionar. Lisboa, a Europa e o Mundo na Época Moderna (1500-1800). The Art of Collecting. Lisbon, Europe and the Early Modern World (1500-1800), Lisboa, AR-PAB, 2019, pp. 55-77, 2019
Gems in the Early Modern World. Materials, Knowledge and Global Trade, 1450-1800, eds. Michael Bycroft, and Sven Dupré (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2019), 2019
Following the mysterious death in 1551 of Bhuvanekabāhu VII, a thorough inventory of the Ceylones... more Following the mysterious death in 1551 of Bhuvanekabāhu VII, a thorough inventory of the Ceylonese royal treasury was drafted by Simão Botelho for the Portuguese State of India (the Estado). Although published in full by Sousa Viterbo in 1904, it has received little attention from scholars. Published in its original sixteenth-century Portuguese language and teeming with long forgotten words and an exotic vocabulary of Asian origin, the inventory has remained almost unknown since it was first printed. Meticulously drafted, it contains the inventory of the monies, gold pieces, and jewels removed from the royal treasury and also the treasury of the private royal temple. The present chapter aims to provide the first systematic analysis of its invaluable art historical content.
At the end of 1541 humanist André de Resende, one of the literary glories of Renaissance Portugal... more At the end of 1541 humanist André de Resende, one of the literary glories of Renaissance Portugal, while still waiting for his pension promised by the late cardinal infante Afonso, is called by inquisitor general infante Henrique to analyse the theological contents of two letters, in order to ascertain his heresies, written by the New Christian Pêro Álvares, imprisoned by the Holy Inquisition of Évora. The accused, a powerful merchant converso from Évora with high level contacts in the Portuguese royal court had written, while in prison, several letters to both the inquisitor general and preeminent ecclesiastics (amongst them most probably Resende himself), appealing to their mercy regarding the harsh procedures observed by the Portuguese Inquisition, using biblical examples taken mainly from the New Testament. This paper aims to examine in detail the theological debate and biblical exegesis present in both the letters and the written reply by Resende, his longest autograph still extant, while clarifying the much debated chronology of Resende's Erasmism. It becomes clear that his commitment with Erasmus' philosophia Christi at least from 1541 onwards is something left in the past. In order to understand Resende's fierce orthodoxy we also turned upon his patron's position regarding the New Christians and the personal involvement of cardinal Afonso in their punishment and the admesurement of their beliefs while the Holy Inquisition was not fully established in the realm. Besides providing here in appendix Resende's text we analyse previously unknown documents concerning the humanist life at the service of cardinals Afonso and Henrique.
The autos-de-fé which took place in Ancona, between April and June 1556, during the pontificate o... more The autos-de-fé which took place in Ancona, between April and June 1556, during the pontificate of Pope Paul VI, stand out as one of the most tragic episodes of the Sephardic Diaspora in the Italic Peninsula in which about three dozens of Portuguese Jews were slaughtered. The papal commissioners began by confiscating and drawing up an inventory and estimating the possessions of numerous members of the Jewish-Portuguese community, between August and November 1555, shortly after cardinal Carafa ascended to the pontifical solium. Among those whose possessions have been listed (there are 48 extant inventories) one finds the names of two prominent physicians, Amato Lusitano and Francisco Barbosa, and that of an apothecary, Joseph Molcho, one of the martyrs of the autos-de-fé. This study seeks to contextualize these events by focusing on the particular situation experienced by these three personalities of the Portuguese Nation, as well as to provide a thorough analysis of the inventories of their possessions. These inventories, which represent exceptional testimonies of the home and professional environments of these figures of the Jewish-Portuguese community, allow an intimate knowledge and a privileged access, even if by approximation, to their activities and personalities, through the type of objects they have chosen or were able to be surrounded by.
Following compromising statements made to the Inquisition by their black slave Helena, the Portug... more Following compromising statements made to the Inquisition by their black slave Helena, the Portuguese humanist of Sephardic origin Duarte Gomes, fled Lisbon with his family in the early days of November 1542, travelling straight to Antwerp, never to return to Lisbon. Almost immediately, a full inventory was made of the contents of his home in Rua Nova dos Mercadores, which was Lisbon's main thoroughfare at the time and the financial centre of the Portuguese Crown in the Age of the Discovery. This paper aims to examine in detail the sum of Duarte's furnishings and belongings and by doing so, create a sort of reconstruction of the appearance and 'ameublement' of Duarte Gomes' home. Beginning with his majolica pieces 'decorati alla porcellana', and proceeding to the Chinese Jiajing porcelain export ware, his oriental fan and book collection, we attempt to compare the contents with the only other sources of information we have for similar manifestations of 16th century Portuguese taste and consumption trends; namely the Royal Household, the Great Wardrobe and the Royal Library. A full transcription of the Inquisition trial of Duarte Gomes is also provided here for the first time.
This paper discusses previously unknown royal receipts (quittance or carta de quitação) that offe... more This paper discusses previously unknown royal receipts (quittance or carta de quitação) that offer detailed lists of the most precious possessions and household belongings of King Manuel I's son, Infante D. Luís, who died in 1555. Careful analysis of these lists illuminate important aspects of the princeps's personality, as well as the identity of a number of members of his entourage, including his treasurer, Rui Salema, his silversmith and his two foreign armorers.
Talks by Hugo Miguel Crespo
Produtos da máquina burocrática e contabilística que rege o real tesouro, os livros de receita e ... more Produtos da máquina burocrática e contabilística que rege o real tesouro, os livros de receita e despesa do «tesouro» e «guarda-roupa» da casa real (o seu círculo mais íntimo mas também o mais exibido), na minúcia do seu registo, iluminam a personalidade do rei como talvez poucas fontes o façam, já que demonstram dia-a-dia o âmbito, natureza e valor das despesas sumptuárias do monarca, dos gastos com têxteis preciosos à argentária, passando pelo vestir régio, no apontamento das encomendas aos alfaiates e bordadores. Mesmo no quadro de uma constrição canónica, reflexo da hierarquização vestimentária que se procura impor e se luta por fazer cumprir, há lugar para a escolha - naquilo que a opção revela de carga ou investimento de sentidos -, porventura até com maior visibilidade nos círculos mais chegados ao poder, ainda que seja a imagem de todo um reino, ou um sonho de império que se faz por projectar. Tais livros, produzidos anualmente à medida em que se vê prolongado o reinado, seriam, no caso d'o Venturoso, em número bastante. São raros testemunhos agora, que a voragem dos tempos, ou a vontade de «calar» um mundo de segredo, o da despesa privada do soberano, fizeram desaparecer. Chegou-nos apenas um, severamente incompleto mas ainda de altíssimo valor, coincidentemente do biénio 1514-1515, período maior de completa afirmação da administração manuelina e da projecção diplomática de uma renovada e incensada imagem do reino de Portugal e do ideário imperialista do seu «princeps», já que delimitada pela embaixada de Tristão da Cunha (12-III-1514) ao novo papa Leão X - célebre pela oferta do elefante albino Hanno e recompensada pela rosa de ouro e espada papais -, pela presença em solo luso dos enviados do Preste João das Índias e, enfim, pela preparação do malogrado envio ao papa de Ganda, o rinoceronte oferecido a D. Manuel I pelo rei de Cambaia, Modofar II e logo debuxado por Dürer (XII-1515), ofertas diplomáticas e preparativos de que o manuscrito que nos ocupa nos dá, igualmente, eloquente testemunho. Cruzando os elementos deste códice, com a abundante documentação afim do Corpo Cronológico, procura-se traçar as linhas que definem o vestir régio, desde a compra têxtil, a encomenda régia, ou o fabrico dos «vestidos», passando pela aprovação do rei, reconstruindo, assim e de forma completa, o vestuário de D. Manuel I e seus filhos, muito na esteira da reconstrução do guarda-roupa de Isabel I por Janet Arnold (1988), do de Eleonora de Toledo por Roberta Orsi Landini (2005) ou, na exacta cronologia que nos interessa, a reconstituição e análise crítica da roupa e do vestir na corte de Henrique VIII por Maria Hayward (2007). Apenas quando cumpridas estas tarefas historiográficas poderemos melhor conhecer o vestuário masculino em Portugal do século de D. Teodósio I, 5.º duque de Bragança.
Books by Hugo Miguel Crespo
A Safavid Mirror from the Court of Shah 'Abbas I, 2024
This unique dressing mirror, with its ‘lacquered’ wooden frame, links Iran and Europe, East and W... more This unique dressing mirror, with its ‘lacquered’ wooden frame, links Iran and Europe, East and West. The mirror is European, probably made in Venice, where the production of tin amalgam mirrors was a well-kept secret. The wooden frame, masterfully painted in brightly coloured shellac highlighted in gold, was made in Safavid Iran during the later years of Shah ‘Abbas’s I reign (r. 1587-1629). The painted decoration, in the style of contemporary courtly manuscripts and luxurious ‘lacquer’ book bindings, consists of episodes of the well-known ‘Khamsa’ by Nizami - one of the absolute classics of Persian literature and a favourite of the Safavids. Among the characters, two male and female figures are dressed in European, likely Portuguese attire. Made in Isfahan, this rare object mirrors the cosmopolitanism of Safavid society and a growing interest in European commodities and aesthetics at the Iranian court
An Altar Tabernacle on the Life of the Child Jesus, 2024
On early modern Lankan religion, a form of state-sponsored Theravāda Buddhism commingled with low... more On early modern Lankan religion, a form of state-sponsored Theravāda Buddhism commingled with lower and also Brahmanical Hindu ritual over a pre-Buddhist immanentist set of beliefs and practices, see
A Índia em Portugal. India in Portugal, 2021
This is the catalogue of an exhibition which I curated at the National Museum of Soares dos Reis ... more This is the catalogue of an exhibition which I curated at the National Museum of Soares dos Reis in Porto, Portugal in 2021. It deals mostly with Indian luxury objects (furniture, precious metalwork and carved ivories) made for export to Portugal in the 16th and 17th centuries, detailing the different production centres where these were made.
The "Pangolin Fan" An Imperial Ivory Fan from Ceylon, 2022
Hugo Miguel Crespo & Annemarie Jordan Gschwend
As Flores de Jamnitzer. A fundicão pelo natural no Renascimento. Jamnitzer's Flowers. Life casting in the Renaissance, 2020
Comprar o Mundo. Consumo e Comércio na Lisboa do Renascimento. Shopping for Global Goods. Consumption and Trade in Renaissance Lisbon, 2020
A Arte de Coleccionar. Lisboa, a Europa e o Mundo na Época Moderna (1500-1800). The Art of Collecting. Lisbon, Europe and the Early Modern World (1500-1800), 2019
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Papers by Hugo Miguel Crespo
Talks by Hugo Miguel Crespo
Books by Hugo Miguel Crespo
The Art of Collecting.
Lisbon, Europe and the Early Modern World (1500-1800).
Lisbon, 2019, ISBN: 978-989-96180-5-3
Two essays by Annemarie Jordan Gschwend
The Art of Collecting among Habsburg Women. Catherine and Juana of Austria and their pursuit of luxury, pp. 35-53
The Art of Collecting Asian Folding Fans at the Lisbon Court, pp.79-93
Essays by Annemarie Jordan Gschwend, Hugo Miguel Crespo, Sasha Assis Lima and Letizia Arbeteta Mira
Asian gems were soon accurately depicted in paintings by artists of the Lisbon court. Apart from territorial expansion and conquest, this Portuguese adventure was also one of missionary work, carried out far from Europe, and which required the creation of doctrinal instruments for religious instruction and new liturgical implements for the newly converted to marvel at. This «empire of objects», worked in silver and gold, emerged out of the confluence of many different artistic worlds, unknown to one another, which in Asia acquired its own particular features to produce variations on the European models brought by the nobility and the missionaries. This circulation of models extended from Hormuz to Goa and onwards to Malabar, from Cochin to Bengal along the Coromandel coast taking in the Taprobane (Ceylon) as well as out into the - fittingly coined - 'Mediterranean' of the China Sea, from the straits of Malacca to the seas of Java and into the rivers of Asia. A voyage of styles and forms that accompanied the growing geographic knowledge about Asia which was hitherto unknown to the Europeans.
Such is the current itinerary for our 'Jewels from the India Run', showcasing the treasures of this 'promised land', created from gems, gold and silver from an Asia transformed by the Portuguese, and featuring an impressive group of two hundred works of art, many never previously exhibited, exquisitely crafted in gold and silver, some studded with precious gems, and others embellished with vivid enamels. Rare and unique objects presented within the cultural context and historical framework of their artistic periods of creation. An awe-inspiring range of works that, just like Mendes Pinto, lead us to exclaim: 'that in all my days I have never seen such a wondrous thing.'