CEDRELA FISSILIS) in Tile SACRED ART of BRAZIL

IAWA Journal, Vol. 15 (1), 1994: 47-50 NOTES ON SOUTH AMERICAN CEDAR (CEDRELA FISSILIS) IN TIlE SACRED ART OF BRAZIL by Pedro L. B. lisboa Department of Botany, Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi / CNPq, P.O. Box 399, CEP 66.017-970, Belem, Para, Brazil Summary The use of cedar (most probably Cedrela Cedrelafissilis Vell.: Brazil, Minas Gerais fissilis Veil.) in Brazilian sacred art is dis state, Sabara (city), Igreja da Ordem Terceira cussed. A wood anatomical description and do Carmo: Sao Simao Stock image (MGx an account of wood properties that make this 7197), Sao Joao da Cruz image (MGx 7195). now almost depeleted tropical heartwood so Museu do Ouro de Sabara: Sao Francisco suitable for wood carving, are given. de Paula image (MGx 7199), Santa Teresa Key words: Cedrelafissilis, Cedrela odorata, D'Avila image (MGx 7196). Santa Luzia wood carving, wood anatomy, seculo do (city), Igreja Matriz de Santa Luzia: Santa ouro. Luzia image (MGx 7201), Sao Miguel Arcan jo image (MGx 7200), Sao Joao Nepomuceno Introduction image (MGx 7198), Sao Bras image (MGx The literature about the utilisation of woods 7202). as raw materials rarely refers to their use for artistic purposes. No dendrological informa General information on South American tion exists, for example, on the wood carv cedar ings that adorn Brazilian churches, especially The designation 'cedar' covers all eight those built during the period known as the species of Cedrela (Me1iaceae) concentrated 'seculo do ouro' (golden century) that had its in the tropics of the New Wodd. Cedar has climax in the state of Minas Gerais between a wide distribution all over tropical America, the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The where it is part of a main group of woods now-exhausted resources of the gold, silver known as 'noble' for their remarkable quali and gem mines left cities like Ouro Preto, Ti ties. radentes, Sabara, Sao J oao Del Rey, Mariana, In Brazil cedar is regarded as being in dan and other colonial cities as authentic museums ger of extinction due to the severe exploita of the Baroque period in Brazil. tion it has suffered since colonial times. It has This note covers a dendrological study of highly diversified utilisations, with many South American cedar (Cedrelafissilis Vell.), applications in building construction in the which was extensively used during the gold making of wooden beams, sashes, window en century in the manufacture of religious blinds, door frames, baseboards, moldings, sculptures throughout Brazil. ceilings, panels, staircases, and partition The sculptures from which samples were walls. It is employed in turned pieces as or taken for wood identification are all from the namentation, and in wood carvings, furni eighteenth century. Nevertheless, all of them ture, wooden cutlery handles, knobs, curved are from the same period as the golden cen pieces like tennis rackets, etc. It is used in tury. The carved wooden images from which shipping crates and light package boxes. In small wood samples were received are the naval architecture it is used for deck planks of eight sculptures shown in Figures I to 8. ships and in small boats. It is preferred for Allthe samples are considered to belong to some musical instruments and has several Cedrela fissilis Veil. The specimens studied other special applications as doors, broom are listed below. sticks, etc. (Mainieri & Chimelo 1989). Downloaded from Brill.com09/24/2021 06:09:19PM via free access 48 IAWA Journal, Vol. 15 (1), 1994 Figs. 1-10. - 1: Sao Simao Stock. - 2: Sao Joao da Cruz. - 3: Sao Francisco de Paula. - 4: Santa Teresa D' Avila. - 5: Santa Luzia. - 6: Sao Miguel Arcanjo. - 7: Sao Joao Nepomu ceno. - 8: Sao Bras. - 9 & 10: Cedrela fissilis; 9: transverse section (x 125); 10: tangential section (x 15). Downloaded from Brill.com09/24/2021 06:09:19PM via free access Lisboa - South American cedar in the sacred art of Brazil 49 --- ---~----- Two spccics of cedar are more frequent in with. However, this fact has relatively little Brazilian forests than the others of the genus: importance since all species of cedar have Cedrelafissilis and Cedrela odorata. Cedrela similar properties so that all of them are used fissilis occurs from sea level to 800 metres. It in the same way. is widely distributed in Latin America, from Costa Rica and Panama in Central America to Botanical features and wood anatomy of the north of Argentina, with greater frequency Cedrela /issilis in coastal areas. In Brazil, C. fissilis appears in all regions throughout the country. In the Botanical features - The mature trees are state of Minas Gerais, this cedar is well doc tall, most individuals reaching 30 metres but umented from collections made in Curvelo, some reaching 40 metres; generally without Lagoa Santa, Ituiutaba, Sete Lagoas, Vi\;osa, branches until several metres high up the Caldas, etc. trunk; I metre or more in diameter above the Another species with an equally wide dis buttress roots (large tabular prop roots that tribution is Cedrela odorata that is found along grow out from the trunk) with thick, red the Pacific coast of Mexico, from the state of greyish, rugged, cracked bark. Silanoa (lat. 26° N), reaching Central Amer Anatomical description (Figs. 9, 10) - ica, the Caribbean Islands, and South Ameri Growth rings marked by both marginal paren ca as far as northeastern Argentina. In Brazil, chyma and often also by differences in pore C. odorata shows a more limited distribution diameter between latc- and earlywood. Wood than C. fissilis, appearing in the Amazon diffuse to semi-ring-porous. Vessels circular Basin and spreading to the states of Goias, to subcircular in transverse section, thin-wall Mato Grosso and Maranhao, extending into ed; tangential diameter 80-310 ~m (average northeastern Bahia, Espirito Santo and Rio 200 ~m), mostly 150-200 ~m; very few to de Janeiro (Styles 1981). numerous, 1-8 (average 3) per mm 2; pre Geographic distribution of both species dominantly solitary (70%), remainder in shows that C. fissilis is more common in the pairs; perforations simple; intervessel pits countryside forests of Minas Gerais, spread polygonal and alternate, 5-10 ~m in diam ing as far as the state of Rio Grande do SuI. eter; vessel elements 150-650 ~m (average This fact supports thc conclusion that the 522 ~m, most frequent range 400-650 ~m) wood used in the making of religious sculp long; vessel contents absent or present as oil tures during the golden century in Minas resin or unidentified white substance. Rays Gerais was obtained from C. fissilis, which biseriate (77%), triseriate (17%) or more was closest to the towns where the craftsmen rarely uniseriate (6%), 80-170 ~m or 9-22 worked. The Amazon region of Brazil, on (average 12) cells tall; 7-13 (average 9) per li the other hand, has been an isolated region near mm. Fibres exclusively libriform; dou until the present day, which leads one to con ble wall thickness on average 9 ~m, thinner clude that the cutting and transportation of C. than lumen diameter; 1120-2100 (average odorata, from the Amazon to Minas Gerais, 1540) ~m long. Traumatic secretory canals would not have been probable, especially normally present. Axial parenchyma usually since local forests held an abundance of C. in tangential bands, often forming concentric fissilis cedar with the same general properties lines or 1-6 cells wide bands; diffuse paren as the other cedar species. Unfortunately, it chyma scarce. is not possible to determine the exact wood Woodfeatures - The heartwood varies species through anatomical study because the from light brown to pinkish beige to reddish cedar species in general are very homogene brown, rather different from the pale pink sap ous with regard to their structural organisa wood. Sapwood with medium to high shine tion. Since the samples from Baroque sculp and golden reflex; rough texture, spicy scent, tures of the churches of Minas Gerais date slightly bitter taste (Loureiro & Silva 1968). from past centuries, one cannot be fully cer As mentioned previously, cedar is preferred tain which of the cedar species one is dealing for a number of different applications. Religi- Downloaded from Brill.com09/24/2021 06:09:19PM via free access 50 IAWA Journal, Vol. 15 (l), 1994 ous wood carvers and sculptors prefer cedar worked by hand with hand-tools because its because it is appropriate for hand carving due fibres are slender and thin-walled. to its physical qualities. Many hand-carved works made of cedar can be found in churches References throughout the Americas where the species occurs. Excellent examples are the panels of Loureiro, AA & M.F. da Silva. 1968. Ca the ancient Comayagua Cathedral in Hondu talogo de madeiras da Amazonia. Super ras, the Sao Francisco de Assis church in intendencia de Desenvolvimento da Ama Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, and many others zonia (SUDAM), Beh~m. throughout Brazil. It is a light-weight wood Mainieri, C. & J.P. Chimelo. 1989. Fichas (0.44-0.60 g/ cm 3), strong in proportion de caracterfsticas de madeiras brasileiras. to its weight, extremely durable, showing a Inst. de Pesq. Tecn., Sao Paulo. good resistance against decomposition, ter Styles, B.T. 1981. Swietenioideae. In: T.D. mites and other insects because it is resinous. Pennington (ed.), Meliaceae. Flora Neo The tensile strength and cleavage are low. It tropica. 28. New York Bot. Gard., New takes on a good finish. This wood is easily York: 305-420. Downloaded from Brill.com09/24/2021 06:09:19PM via free access.

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