The Gardensof the National Palace of Queluz Conservation Intervention The Gardens of the National Palace of Queluz: Conservation Intervention © Associação World Monuments Fund Portugal and World Monuments Fund Published by Associação World Monuments Fund Portugal World Monuments Fund Editors A. Elena Charola José Delgado Rodrigues Authors Luís Aires Barros Maria João Baptista Neto A. Elena Charola Conceição Coelho Isabel Cordeiro Virgínia Costa José Delgado Rodrigues Fernando Grilo Rupert Harris Fernando M. A. Henriques José Ibérico Nogueira Nuno Proença Marta Raposo Sílvia Santa-Rita Maria Luísa Silva Vieira Marta A. Vale Anjos Valéria Vieira Translations A. Elena Charola José Delgado Rodrigues Maria João Revez Helena Correia Lopes Coordination Helena Correia Lopes Photographic credits Carlos Pombo, Instituto dos Museus e Conservação A. Elena Charola José Delgado Rodrigues Rita Ferreira Rupert Harris Melvyn Rodda Nuno Proença Marta Raposo Maria Luísa Silva Vieira Maria João Furtado José Ibérico Nogueira Cover Canal de Azulejos (photo taken before the intervention) Photo: Carlos Pombo, Instituto dos Museus e Conservação Graphic Design Atelier MAM Design / Madalena Azevedo Mendes Secretariat Fátima Mateus Support Team Quatro, Lda. ISBN: ---- The Gardens of the National Palace of Queluz: Conservation Intervention The Gardensof the National Palace of Queluz Conservation Intervention Edited by: A. Elena Charola José Delgado Rodrigues World Monuments Fund Portugal acknowledges the valuable support received from the below listed donors that allowed the successful completion of e Gardens of the National Palace of Queluz project Fundação EDP Cimpor – Cimentos de Portugal SGPS,S.A. André Jordan Group FLAD – Fundação Luso-Americana para o Desenvolvimento Lusitania, Companhia de Seguros S. A. Robert W. Wilson Challenge to Conserve Our Heritage Samuel H. Kress Foundation Annenberg Foundation World Monuments Fund Britain Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation The Dr. Mortimer and Theresa Sackler Foundation The Manifold Trust The Henry Moore Foundation Team Quatro Lda., for the support to this publication The Gardens of the National Palace of Queluz: Conservation Intervention T C I Bonnie Burnham – President of World Monuments Fund P Elísio Summavielle – Director General for Cultural Heritage F Jonathan Foyle and David Gundry – World Monuments Fund Britain P José Blanco – President of World Monuments Fund Portugal C . T G N P Q: A I Isabel Cordeiro, Sílvia Santa-Rita, and Conceição Coelho C . J C L S G Rupert Harris C . A I A P: T C L S Q G Maria João Neto and Fernando Grilo C . T C I G – A O A. Elena Charola, José Delgado Rodrigues, Luis Aires Barros, and Fernando M.A. Henriques C . S S B José Delgado Rodrigues, A. Elena Charola, and Marta A. Vale Anjos Table of Contents C . N P L S Virginia Costa and A. Elena Charola C . C R O F G Q Nuno Proença and Marta Raposo C . T C A: C P P José Delgado Rodrigues and A. Elena Charola C . T W: F I S A. Elena Charola, José Delgado Rodrigues, Luis Aires Barros, and Fernando M. A. Henriques C . T L S: A P’ V S W Maria Luísa Silva Vieira C . L S R W: A O Marta Raposo and Valéria Vieira C . T C P I A. Elena Charola and José Ibérico Nogueira C . M R A. Elena Charola, José Delgado Rodrigues, Luis Aires Barros, and Fernando M. A. Henriques G A The Gardens of the National Palace of Queluz: Conservation Intervention Table of Contents The Gardens of the National Palace of Queluz: Conservation Intervention I Bonnie Burnham President of World Monuments Fund On a bright and clear afternoon in June 2011, a group of World Monuments Fund sup- porters and Portuguese cultural officials gathered in the gardens of the National Palace of Queluz to unveil a plaque commemorating its restoration and to pay tribute to the late Paulo Lowndes Marques. rough a decade of complex and challenging work, Dr. Lowndes Marques, on behalf of WMF Portugal, led the project of the gardens’ restora- tion with probity and enthusiasm. When WMF began conservation work there in 2002, the gardens were facing overwhelming problems. e increased suburban sprawl around Queluz reduced the water availability for both gardens and the hydraulic system feeding its many ornamental fountains during the dry summers. At the same time, it increased the frequency of catastrophic floods of the Jamor River that traverses the gardens—in part through the extraordinary tile-work lined canal—during the wet winters. ese problems resulted in an overall feeling of neglect. Extensive studies, rigorous documentation, and careful conservation work have gone into the gardens since that time. A collaboration between World Monuments Fund, the Instituto Português do Património Arquitectónico (IPPAR), subsequently Instituto de Gestão do Património Arquitectónico e Arqueológico (IGESPAR) and the staff of Queluz Palace brought together expertise from a range of sources, both Portuguese and internation- al. WMF Portugal, through prior projects at the Tower of Belém and Monastery of Jeróni- mos, has already assembled a world-class stone conservation team, and the Queluz garden conservation project provided another opportunity to bring together these experts for the benefit of a major Portuguese monument. But in other areas, finding appropriate expertise would be challenging. One unexpected and opportune discovery occurred during a visit to Portugal in 2003 of WMF’s European affiliates. Strolling through the gardens, conservation experts from WMF Britain quickly identified the extensive collection of lead sculpture in the garden as the work of the eighteenth-century British sculptor John Cheere. Previously unknown to them, this discovery opened a new dimension of exchange, collaboration, re- search, and support. A joint program between WMF Britain and WMF Portugal allowed a group of Portuguese trainees, working at Queluz under British trainers, to acquire skills to conserve metal sculpture that were not extant in Portugal prior to the conservation work at Queluz. Several works by Cheere traveled to London for conservation and subsequent exhibitions in major museums there. Today, the gardens of Queluz have regained appropriate recognition as one of the most beautiful of Europe. e palace itself had undergone extensive restoration, and the stunning rococo ensemble has joined other key monuments of Lisbon and nearby Sintra as one of the sites that visitors must find the time to see. An essential element of all WMF’s work is public access at the conclusion of projects; of equal importance is providing the public with information to understand what they see and appreciate the conservation process. We hope that this volume will promote wider recogni- tion of work that has been done to preserve Queluz. WMF is grateful to all who participated in this project, most especially Isabel Cruz de Almeida, the tireless and dedicated vice president of WMF Portugal, the donors to WMF Portugal and WMF Britain who supported this project, and our US donors — the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, Annenberg Foundation, and the Robert W. Wilson Challenge to Conserve our Heritage, a financial challenge program that has allowed WMF to make funds available to many of the world’s great monuments and sites for their conservation. The Gardens of the National Palace of Queluz: Conservation Intervention P Elísio Summavielle Director General for Cultural Heritage It is a great pleasure to present this publication that marks the completion of the restoration of the gardens, including the many decorative fountains, of the National Palace of Queluz, carried out in collaboration between World Monuments Fund Portugal and the Instituto dos Museus e Conservação. is wide-ranging project dealt with the conservation, restora- tion, and presentation of the gardens and the great number of statues, both in stone and lead that decorate them, as well as the statue of D. Maria I located in front of the palace. It was a fundamental contribution to the National Palace of Queluz, to the Portuguese cultural heritage and to the world in general. e investment made by the Portuguese state, through the Ministério da Cultura, subsequently the Secretaria de Estado da Cultura, associated with those made by World Monuments Fund and its Portuguese affiliate, allowed the restoration of this unique piece of Portuguese heritage. us the safeguarding of this monument, a priority that needs to be respected, was ensured. e investment was made with the conviction that it will raise the awareness of the value of this heritage and provide returns in public education by inducing an increased number of visits. Our architectural and landscape heritage is definitely distinctive, captivating both na- tional and international visitors. e strategy adopted in this project has addressed, in the first place, physical preservation and sustainability while simultaneously developing new resources and user programs. e reopening of the gardens in May 2011 and the ongoing program for progressive restoration of the gardens through an interdisciplinary program ranging from art history, conservation, and restoration to landscape architecture, including biology and plant man- agement, involving diverse institutions and companies, continues to be a success. e various interventions carried out in this project constituted one of the most ex- tensive restoration projects of historic gardens in Portugal. It has contributed significantly to putting the gardens of the National Palace of Queluz back on international cultural tour-