Archaeology, ethnography and the artistic context in Brazil during the Second Empire: the works of the sculptors Ferdinand Pettrich and Louis Rochet

Abstract

Following previous work about the Scientific Expedition of the Section of Archaeology and Ethnography of Brazilian Geographic and Historical Institute, it will be featured in this paper the relationship between ethnographic illustration and artistic production promoted by the court of Emperor Don Pedro II and Academia Imperial de Belas Artes in Rio de Janeiro. In particular, two cases will be discussed: the sculptures representing North American Indians executed by the German artist Ferdinand Pettrich in United States between 1835 and 1845, reworked during his Brazilian sojourn until 1857 and donated to Pope Pius IX which are now in the Museo Etnologico Missionario in Vatican City. Most relevant to our analysis, however, is the case of the equestrian monument of the Emperor Don Pedro I executed by French sculptor Louis Rochet in Rio de Janeiro between 1857 and 1862, in which the ethnographic illustration was mixed with epic intentions and aesthetic solutions which had strong impact on the art of the period.

Keywords
Archaelogy; Etnography; Art; Brazil; XIXth Century