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
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
tamente a 9 <strong>de</strong> Outubro <strong>de</strong>sse ano e a 12 do<br />
mesmo mês na Faculda<strong>de</strong> <strong>de</strong> Medicina. A<br />
leccionação <strong>de</strong> história natural acarretava,<br />
cumulativamente, tal como se previa nos<br />
Estatutos, a «intendência» do <strong>Jardim</strong> <strong>Botânico</strong>,<br />
tarefa que exerceu até Janeiro <strong>de</strong> 1791,<br />
ano em que se jubilou e foi substituído na<br />
direcção do <strong>Jardim</strong> por Félix Avelar Brotero.<br />
Van<strong>de</strong>lli surge-nos associado a outros dois<br />
paduanos que se <strong>de</strong>bruçariam sobre o horto<br />
conimbricense. João António Dalla-Bella,<br />
graduado a 4 <strong>de</strong> Maio <strong>de</strong> 1773 na Faculda<strong>de</strong><br />
<strong>de</strong> Medicina e na <strong>de</strong> Filosofia, on<strong>de</strong> ensinou<br />
física, integrou, como acima relatámos, o<br />
grupo <strong>de</strong> professores que, juntamente com<br />
o reitor, visitaram e analisaram o local para<br />
o estabelecimento do <strong>Jardim</strong>. Mas é sobretudo<br />
Júlio Mattiazzi que nos importa <strong>de</strong>stacar,<br />
uma vez que, antes <strong>de</strong> ser trazido por<br />
Van<strong>de</strong>lli para Portugal, em 1768, para com<br />
ele colaborar em Lisboa e em <strong>Coimbra</strong>,<br />
<strong>de</strong>sempenhava funções <strong>de</strong> jardineiro no<br />
<strong>Jardim</strong> <strong>Botânico</strong> <strong>de</strong> Pádua. Não é, por conseguinte,<br />
<strong>de</strong> estranhar que o risco do <strong>Jardim</strong><br />
da Universida<strong>de</strong> por ele executado <strong>de</strong>ixe<br />
transparecer o mo<strong>de</strong>lo do da sua cida<strong>de</strong><br />
natal.<br />
Permanece incerto o lugar <strong>de</strong> Guilherme<br />
Els<strong>de</strong>n no <strong>de</strong>lineamento do inicial programa<br />
do <strong>Jardim</strong>, não sendo possível assegurar ser<br />
da sua autoria a planta guardada na biblioteca<br />
do Departamento <strong>de</strong> Botânica. Por<br />
um lado, sabe-se que, em Maio <strong>de</strong> 1773, o<br />
tenente-coronel já havia chegado a <strong>Coimbra</strong><br />
e, à partida, tudo indica que se tenha<br />
<strong>de</strong>dicado a tal tarefa, uma vez que o marquês<br />
o havia expressamente responsabilizado<br />
pela mesma. Aliás, quando, em Fevereiro<br />
<strong>de</strong> 1773, D. Francisco <strong>de</strong> Lemos escrevia<br />
ao ministro sobre a análise do terreno<br />
para o <strong>Jardim</strong> e o andamento das restantes<br />
obras universitárias, garantia que “fico esperando<br />
o tenente-coronel Els<strong>de</strong>n para com<br />
elle conferir tudo quanto respeita á execução<br />
das Plantas que V.ª Ex.ª foi servido<br />
remetter-me, e o mais que for preciso. E<br />
sem elle nada obrarei” 7 . A própria planta do<br />
36<br />
Van<strong>de</strong>lli’s name frequently appears associated<br />
with two other Paduans that were<br />
also connected to the <strong>Coimbra</strong> Gar<strong>de</strong>n,<br />
João António Dalla-Bella and Júlio Mattiazzi.<br />
Dalla-Bella, who graduated on 4th May<br />
1773 from the Faculty of Medicine and Philosophy,<br />
where he taught physics, was in<br />
the group of professors that, together with<br />
the Rector, visited and analysed the site for<br />
the Gar<strong>de</strong>n, as we have mentioned. But it<br />
is Júlio Mattiazzi that is most <strong>de</strong>serving of<br />
our attention, since before being brought<br />
to Portugal by Van<strong>de</strong>lli in 1768 to collaborate<br />
with him in Lisbon and <strong>Coimbra</strong>, had<br />
been the gar<strong>de</strong>ner at the Botanical Gar<strong>de</strong>n<br />
of Padua. It is therefore not surprising that<br />
his sketch for the University Gar<strong>de</strong>n should<br />
reflect features of the mo<strong>de</strong>l in his native<br />
city.<br />
The role played by William Els<strong>de</strong>n in the<br />
<strong>de</strong>lineation of the initial programme for<br />
the Gar<strong>de</strong>n remains unclear, since we do<br />
not know for certain if the plan kept in the<br />
Botany Department library is in fact by<br />
him. On the one hand, we know that he<br />
arrived in <strong>Coimbra</strong> in May 1773 and everything<br />
indicates at the outset that he was<br />
to un<strong>de</strong>rtake the task, since the Marquis<br />
had expressly appointed him for it. In<strong>de</strong>ed,<br />
when D. Francisco <strong>de</strong> Lemos wrote to the<br />
minister in February 1773 about the analysis<br />
of the terrain for the Gar<strong>de</strong>n and the<br />
progress of the remaining university works,<br />
he assured him that he was “awaiting Lieutenant-Colonel<br />
Els<strong>de</strong>n to discuss with him<br />
the plans that Your Excellency has sent me<br />
and anything else that is <strong>de</strong>emed necessary.<br />
Until he comes I shall not proceed” 7 .<br />
The plan itself, which had been drawn in<br />
the meantime, also reveals ignorance of the<br />
unevenness of the terrain, which could be<br />
explained by the fact that Els<strong>de</strong>n had not<br />
accompanied the rector and professors on<br />
their visit to the site, having been in Lisbon<br />
at the time “incapacitated with an attack of<br />
gout” 8 .<br />
On the other hand, we do not have his sig-