A ação do Instituto José de Figueiredo na recuperação das pinturas da coleção Gulbenkian após a inundação de 1967 do Palácio Pombal, em Oeiras

Abstract

Before the opening of the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in 1969, much of the Gulbenkian collection was displayed and stored at the Pombal Palace, in Oeiras. The 1967 flood was one of the greatest calamities that hit this collection. Of the 70 paintings that were kept in the safety deposit, and which were damaged by water and mud, two-thirds required special care, including two paintings that were considered irrecoverable: Virgin with the child and Donors, by Vittore Carpaccio, and the Island of S. Pietro di Castello, by Francesco Guardi. The Jose de Figueiredo Institute immediately began the salvage intervention that certain paintings required, using techniques and products internationally recognized and proven by the long years of their experience. An individual file process was prepared for each work, including a photographic and radiographic documentation plus a detailed description of the intervention procedure.