Ouro e prata a serviço do culto divino: o ofício de ourives e a produção de ourivesaria sacra na cidade do Salvador (1700-1815)

Abstract

The colonization process of the territories conquered in Portuguese America was directly linked to the expansion of the Christian faith and the imposition of cultural values deeply rooted in the precepts of Catholicism. In the early years of the occupation of Brazilian lands, the Church advanced through the evangelization of local populations and territorial consolidation, establishing colleges in major urban centers and erecting churches and convents. Throughout the 17th century, the city of Salvador structured its administrative framework through the establishment of the City Council and the implementation of craft guilds. Among the artisans associated with these guilds, goldsmiths played a prominent role. As Catholicism took root in the colony, these craftsmen were responsible for producing a significant portion of the liturgical objects used in ecclesiastical ceremonies. In the early 18th century, the organization and promulgation of the First Constitutions of the Archdiocese of Bahia aimed to regulate religious practices in the colony. These measures encouraged devotion to the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist and sacramental rites, fostering the proliferation of parishes and lay brotherhoods throughout the city. Consequently, the demand for sacred metalwork increased significantly. Simultaneously, metropolitan authorities intensified their oversight and control over goldsmithing activities, culminating in the prohibition of this trade in the colony between 1766 and 1815. This dissertation examines the production and use of Catholic sacred metalwork in the city of Salvador, particularly between 1700 and 1815. Through a formal analysis of this body of objects, it seeks to understand them within their historical, economic, and social contexts, drawing upon perspectives from religious history and art history. Going beyond purely stylistic, symbolic, and aesthetic interpretations, the study reveals how the craft of goldsmithing was adapted to the specificities of the Portuguese colony in the Americas. It explores the strategies of livelihood, survival, and social negotiation employed by these artisans, demonstrating that the significant increase in the production of sacred metalwork during this period was closely linked to the organization of religious practices and the notable expansion of churches, third orders, and confraternities in the city - factors that extended far beyond the recent gold discoveries in the region of Minas Gerais.