Jardim Botânico de Coimbra: contraponto entre a Arte e a ... - artez
Jardim Botânico de Coimbra: contraponto entre a Arte e a ... - artez
Jardim Botânico de Coimbra: contraponto entre a Arte e a ... - artez
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do Acaso, e outra <strong>de</strong> Ceres, <strong>de</strong>usa maternal<br />
da Terra para os romanos; a planta e corte<br />
da escada que permitiria o acesso ao <strong>Jardim</strong><br />
pelo passeio público, bem como o portal<br />
que a resguardaria, guarnecido <strong>de</strong> duas<br />
esculturas, <strong>entre</strong> as quais Esculápio, <strong>de</strong>us<br />
romano da medicina.<br />
Do confronto <strong>entre</strong> ambos os riscos po<strong>de</strong>se,<br />
portanto, concluir que, embora o <strong>de</strong>senho<br />
da biblioteca do Departamento <strong>de</strong><br />
Botânica não patenteie uma data, ele terá<br />
sido, com probabilida<strong>de</strong>, formulado antes<br />
daquele que viria a integrar o álbum Riscos<br />
das Obras da Universida<strong>de</strong> <strong>de</strong> <strong>Coimbra</strong>,<br />
enviado à rainha. Po<strong>de</strong>ria, com efeito, ter<br />
acompanhado o primeiro projecto para o<br />
<strong>Jardim</strong> <strong>Botânico</strong> avaliado e recusado, pela<br />
sua sumptuosida<strong>de</strong>, em 1773 pelo marquês.<br />
Por outro lado, o facto <strong>de</strong> tanto o plano do<br />
<strong>Jardim</strong> como o das estufas que se acham na<br />
dita biblioteca encontrarem um «correspon<strong>de</strong>nte»<br />
nos <strong>de</strong>senhos enviados em 1777<br />
à soberana, leva-nos a consi<strong>de</strong>rar a hipótese<br />
<strong>de</strong> ter havido, da parte do reitor, a tentativa<br />
<strong>de</strong> retomar a configuração outrora<br />
reprovada pelo ministro <strong>de</strong> D. José. Se assim<br />
foi, o intuito <strong>de</strong> D. Francisco <strong>de</strong> Lemos não<br />
vingou uma vez mais, pois nem estas estufas<br />
foram construídas, nem o <strong>Jardim</strong> obe<strong>de</strong>ceu<br />
ao grandioso feitio. O remediado plano<br />
seguido parece ter sido, afinal, o resultado<br />
da adaptação das linhas italianas às possibilida<strong>de</strong>s<br />
económicas, às sensibilida<strong>de</strong>s<br />
dos que sobre este espaço se foram <strong>de</strong>bruçando,<br />
aos condicionalismos do terreno e<br />
das ocasiões e às necessida<strong>de</strong>s pedagógicas<br />
que reclamavam um ponto final a este<br />
moroso processo construtivo.<br />
O ano <strong>de</strong> 1779 assinala a exoneração <strong>de</strong> D.<br />
Francisco <strong>de</strong> Lemos, o qual só voltaria ao<br />
governo da Universida<strong>de</strong> vinte anos mais<br />
tar<strong>de</strong>. Neste <strong>entre</strong>tanto, correspon<strong>de</strong>nte<br />
aos reitorados <strong>de</strong> D. José Francisco <strong>de</strong> Mendonça<br />
e D. Francisco Rafael <strong>de</strong> Castro, prosseguiram<br />
os trabalhos. Edificou-se uma<br />
casa para as lições <strong>de</strong> botânica. Em 1790<br />
ficou terminado o terrapleno inferior, ainda<br />
project that had been assessed and rejected<br />
by the Marquis for being too sumptuous.<br />
On the other hand, the fact that the plans<br />
of both gar<strong>de</strong>n and greenhouses found in<br />
that library have a counterpart in the drawings<br />
sent in 1777 to the queen suggests that<br />
there may have been an attempt on the part<br />
of the rector to revive the earlier configuration<br />
rejected by the Marquis. If so, then it<br />
was unsuccessful a second time round, for<br />
the greenhouses remained unbuilt and the<br />
gar<strong>de</strong>n did not follow the grandiose <strong>de</strong>sign.<br />
The plan that was eventually adopted seems<br />
to have been the result of an adaptation of<br />
Italian lines to the economic possibilities,<br />
the sensibilities of those involved, the limitations<br />
of the terrain and circumstances,<br />
and educational needs, which <strong>de</strong>man<strong>de</strong>d<br />
an end to the longwin<strong>de</strong>d process of construction.<br />
In 1779 D. Francisco <strong>de</strong> Lemos was discharged<br />
from his position as rector, only<br />
returning to govern the University twenty<br />
years later. During this interval, un<strong>de</strong>r the<br />
rectorates of D. José Francisco <strong>de</strong> Mendonça<br />
and D. Francisco Rafael <strong>de</strong> Castro,<br />
the works went ahead. A house was built<br />
for botany lessons. In 1790, the lower level,<br />
still today known as the “central quadrangle”,<br />
was completed, as was the tank in the<br />
middle of it and the plumbing system used<br />
for most of the waters. In this period, the<br />
or<strong>de</strong>r was also given to construct a larger<br />
greenhouse, as the existing one “would not<br />
satisfy the purposes for which it had been<br />
built” 12 .<br />
The plan for the greenhouses of the Botanical<br />
Gar<strong>de</strong>n, signed by Manuel Alves Macomboa<br />
and dated April 1791, responds to this<br />
need. This master carpenter, who had been<br />
called by the Marquis in 1773 to work on<br />
the University buildings, had also since 1777<br />
performed the role of master stonemason<br />
and, following the <strong>de</strong>ath of William Els<strong>de</strong>n,<br />
took over the function of architect in 1782.<br />
His <strong>de</strong>signs of the ground plan and elevation<br />
of the main faça<strong>de</strong> of the greenhouses,<br />
43