Casa Vicent

Last updated
Vincent House
Casa Vicent
Casa Vicent (Porto).jpg
The front facade of Casa Vicent, comparable to the front facade of the Café Majestic
General information
TypeCommercial Shop
Architectural styleRococo
LocationSanto Ildefonso
CountryFlag of Portugal.svg  Portugal
Coordinates 41°8′46″N8°36′30″W / 41.14611°N 8.60833°W / 41.14611; -8.60833 Coordinates: 41°8′46″N8°36′30″W / 41.14611°N 8.60833°W / 41.14611; -8.60833
Opened20th century
Technical details
MaterialIron
Design and construction
ArchitectCompanhia Aliança

Casa Vicent is a historic building in the civil parish of Santo Ildefonso, in the Portuguese city of Porto. Located in the historic lower town (Portuguese : Baixa), the shop is notable for the Art Nouveau and Rococo elements and undulating forms of its iron facade; it is similar to the facades of the Ourivesaria Cunha and Ourivesaria Reis along the same road, all constructed by the Companhia Aliança.

Portugal Republic in Southwestern Europe

Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country located mostly on the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe. It is the westernmost sovereign state of mainland Europe, being bordered to the west and south by the Atlantic Ocean and to the north and east by Spain. Its territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira, both autonomous regions with their own regional governments.

Porto Municipality in Norte, Portugal

Porto, also known as Oporto in some languages,is the second-largest city in Portugal, one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas, famous for Port wine and soccer team FC Porto. Porto city has a population of 287,591 and a metropolitan area with 2.3 million people (2011) in an area of 2,395 km2 (925 sq mi), making it the second-largest urban area in Portugal. It is recognized as a gamma-level global city by the Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) Study Group, the only Portuguese city besides Lisbon to be recognised as a global city.

Portuguese language Romance language that originated in Portugal

Portuguese is a Western Romance language originating in the Iberian Peninsula. It is the sole official language of Portugal, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe. It also has co-official language status in East Timor, Equatorial Guinea and Macau in China. As the result of expansion during colonial times, a cultural presence of Portuguese and Portuguese creole speakers are also found in Goa, Daman and Diu in India; in Batticaloa on the east coast of Sri Lanka; in the Indonesian island of Flores; in the Malacca state of Malaysia; and the ABC islands in the Caribbean where Papiamento is spoken, while Cape Verdean Creole is the most widely spoken Portuguese-based Creole. A Portuguese-speaking person or nation is referred to as "Lusophone" (Lusófono).

Contents

History

At the beginning of the 20th century, Porto boasted several refined and well provided for cosmopolitan neighbourhoods, largely due to the development of the Port wine trade and the strong British influence upon the city.

Port wine Portuguese fortified wine

Port wine is a Portuguese fortified wine produced with distilled grape spirits exclusively in the Douro Valley in the northern provinces of Portugal. It is typically a sweet, red wine, often served as a dessert wine, though it also comes in dry, semi-dry, and white varieties. Fortified wines in the style of port are also produced outside Portugal, including in Australia, France, South Africa, Canada, India, Argentina, Spain, and the United States. Under European Union Protected Designation of Origin guidelines, only the product from Portugal may be labelled as port or Porto. In the United States, wines labelled "port" may come from anywhere in the world, while the names "Oporto", "Porto", and "Vinho do Porto" have been recognized as foreign, non-generic names for port wines originating in Portugal.

As in the main European cities of the day, it was at the dawn of the 20th century that Porto experienced the blossoming of the Art Nouveau movement. Its architects tried to harmonize decorative expression with plants and flowers, often choosing commercial buildings and cafés for their work. New materials such as iron and glass evoked the power of industry and advances in science and technology since the previous century. Some examples of such emblematic buildings are the Café Majestic, the Ourivesaria Cunha (Goldsmiths) and Reis & Filhos, where techniques used with carved and chiseled silver were replicated with cast iron.

Art Nouveau Style of art and architecture about 1890 to 1911

Art Nouveau is an international style of art, architecture and applied art, especially the decorative arts, known in different languages by different names: Jugendstil in German, Stile Liberty in Italian, Modernisme in Catalan, etc. In English it is also known as the Modern Style. The style was most popular between 1890 and 1910. It was a reaction to the academic art, eclecticism and historicism of 19th century architecture and decoration and was inspired by natural forms and structures, particularly the curved lines of plants and flowers, and whiplash forms. Other defining characteristics of Art Nouveau were a sense of dynamism and movement, often given by asymmetry and by curving lines, and the use of modern materials, such as iron pillars and railings, sculpted and curved in naturalistic designs.

Founded in Porto around 1852, Companhia Aliança was established by the Baron of Massarelos and Gaspar da Cunha Lima. [1] The Rua 31 de Janeiro became an important commercial artery, where many foreign merchants installed their businesses, including Vicent, Delage, Buisson, etc. [1] The building's name came from the foreign occupant, who early on installed his business in the spaces, a Spanish merchant named Vicent. [1]

Between 1914 and 1915, Companhia Aliança offered to the first occupants of the Casa Vicent several artifacts to Ourivesaria Miranda & Filhos. [1]

On 24 August 1995, a dispatch was opened in order to begin the process to classify the property as patrimony. [1] The classification process expired on 23 October 2009, under terms of article 78, decree-law 309/2009. [1]

Architecture

Grating covering the front facade of the Casa Vicent Santo Ildefonso-Casa Vicent.jpg
Grating covering the front facade of the Casa Vicent

Located in the urban expanse of Porto, it is flanked by several buildings that define the Rua 31 de Janeiro, a two-story building, constructed at the beginning of the 20th century. [1] To the west of the building is a two-story structure, while a three-story building stands to the wast; the rear of the building is aligned with the Rua da Madeira. [1]

The principal facade is oriented to the south, along Rua 31 de Janeiro; a structure made of golden cast iron, with contours made up of a variety of ornate floral motifs. [1] These are crowned with shell-like forms complemented by decorative plant designs of Rococo inspiration. It includes a central portico along its main axis, surmounted by flag, flanked by two large undulating frames. [1] Its perimeter is constituted by large curved pieces, vegetal or shell-like in form, decorated in the center. [1] Between the shell and door flag is a sign stating VICENT. The interior spaces still maintain the furniture and furnishings of the period including gilded counters, lamps and windows. [1] Further notable features include the original wallpaper, decorated ceilings and wooden floors.

Casa Vicent constitutes one of the rare examples of ironwork commercial architecture referencing the Art Nouveau period. [1] Similar styles were constructed along the same roadway, including the Ourivesaria Cunha and Ourivesaria Reis & Filhos. [1] The ironwork is comparable the styles of these buildings in worked silver and polished metal.

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References

Notes
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Sereno, Isabel (1996), SIPA (ed.), Casa Vicent, na Rua 31 de Janeiro nº174 (PT011312120115) (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: SIPA – Sistema de Informação para o Património Arquitectónico, archived from the original on 5 March 2016, retrieved 6 May 2012
Sources
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