Ad futuram Regis memoriam. A história conservativa do túmulo do rei D. Dinis

Abstract

Based on the research done so far, this paper aims at providing a brief excursus on the conservative history of King Dinis’ tomb, a unicum in the Portuguese art scene of the first half of the 14th century and an emblematic piece of medieval European sculpture. On the other hand, this article calls into question some affirmations transmitted in an uncritical way over the years by Portuguese artistic historiography. Thus, notations, considerations and reasoning are formulated based on the visual and material evaluation of the artwork, as well as on the analysis of the historical context. The aim is to revisit the existing literature on the restoration of the monument and to quantify the interventions and damage suffered by the tomb, either as a result of natural disasters or by the hand of man.