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Paper short abstract:

Since the 16th century, stucco ornaments were part of artificial caves’ decorations, located in the palaces’ gardens throughout Portugal. This paper will demonstrate how stuccowork cohabited with water, creating complex and coherent decorative ensembles.

Paper long abstract:

In Portugal there are examples of artificial caves from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, which reflect the high cultural level of the noble local families responsible for their unique design which combined architecture with stuccowork, sculptures, mural paintings and inlaid works, full of shelves and small pieces of porcelain, echoes of long gone journeys overseas.

In such constructions water has a prominent role, clearly visible through several levels of representativeness.

From a strictly symbolical point of view, water is an important part of the caves' conceptual meaning. Within these spaces, populated by beings of the underworld and nymphs, water represents both purification and fertility, directly connected, also, with the surrounding nature.

Secondly, water is often present in the iconography depicted in the caves' decorative programs, where it is common to find mythological themes related to nautical deities.

On a more functional level, water is the reason why some gardens had complex hydraulic systems, formed by a multitude of elements (fountains, wells, waterwheels, canals, aqueducts, small ponds or lakes) which allowed making the most of its fertilizing properties.

Finally, the symbiotic relation between artificial caves and water represents, at the same time, a severe factor of deterioration. In most part of the cases, the connection with the water was interrupted, in order to stop further damages in the decoration sets.

Some of the remaining cases, however, may still demonstrate the importance given to water in the design of artificial caves and their implantation in Mannerist and Baroque gardens.