MACAU, PÓLO FUNDAMENTAL PARA A DIFUSÃO DO GOSTO E ESTÉTICA CHINESES NA EUROPA E BRASIL澳門是在歐洲和巴西傳播對中國的興趣和美學的基地
The article argues that, from the mid-sixteenth century onwards, Macao functioned as a structuring hub in the dissemination, to Europe and Brazil, of the interest and “taste” associated with Chinese aesthetics, articulating inter-regional Asian trade and transoceanic traffic. Through a historical-cu...
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| Published in: | Review of Culture |
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| Format: | Articles |
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Instituto Cultural de Macau
October 2007
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| Online Access: | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40024/3681 |
| Summary: | The article argues that, from the mid-sixteenth century onwards, Macao functioned as a structuring hub in the dissemination, to Europe and Brazil, of the interest and “taste” associated with Chinese aesthetics, articulating inter-regional Asian trade and transoceanic traffic. Through a historical-cultural approach grounded in contextual analysis of the mercantile circuit and in the reading of period documentation, the study focuses on Macao’s role as a platform for the circulation of decorative and utilitarian goods—jade, lacquer, silk, and porcelain—whose value for Western audiences was often more symbolic and social than strictly aesthetic. It is argued that the arrival of the Portuguese in China (1513) reconfigured the perception of artistic products: they came to be regarded as commodities capable of generating profit and status, even though European clientele were unaware of formal Chinese criteria. With the opening of the port of Canton to Western trade at the end of the seventeenth century, commissions intensified and, simultaneously, the development of Chinese workshops oriented toward an external market, combining local influences, traditional models, and European demands. As evidence, the article mobilizes inventories and royal “Cartas de Quitação,” highlighting acquisitions by the Portuguese royal household and offerings to institutions such as the Jerónimos Monastery, demonstrating how the presence of Chinese pieces reinforced practices of consumption, prestige, and the incorporation of exoticism into the European universe. |
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| ISSN: | 1682-1106 |