As miniaturas de “filiação política”: de objetos perigosos ao esquecimento

We intend to identify and tell the story of an almost forgotten “family” of museum objects: “miniatures of political affiliation” (19th century), one of the most humble forms of royal representation, preserved in Portuguese national museums and private collections. Their symbolic power, once capable...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Patricia Delayti Telles
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidade de Évora 2017-07-01
Series:Midas: Museus e Estudos Interdisciplinares
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Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/midas/1207
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Summary:We intend to identify and tell the story of an almost forgotten “family” of museum objects: “miniatures of political affiliation” (19th century), one of the most humble forms of royal representation, preserved in Portuguese national museums and private collections. Their symbolic power, once capable of injuring their owners, lies “muted” by their insertion into museum contexts prone to favor visual aspects over intangible ones. Little is known about these minutely painted royal portraits, of little monetary value, inserted in objects of everyday usage. Contrary to “official” miniature portraits offered by members of the aristocracy, they seem to have been acquired spontaneously. They circulated mainly among the common people, as signs of fidelity, even if possessing them could have serious consequences in times of political instability, particularly, in Portugal, during the so-called “Liberal Wars” of the 1820s. By giving them back their “voice”, we intend to recover their socio-historical importance and to open up new possibilities of museological approaches, close to André Malraux’s concept of an “imaginary museum”.
ISSN:2182-9543