Critical edition of Robert C. Smith’s unpublished study on King John V Library at Coimbra
This work was developed in collaboration with the Art Library of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, which houses the documentary legacy of the American art historian.
When he passed away prematurely in 1975, Robert Chester Smith was preparing a text on the King John V’s Library at Coimbra, the subject of his research since the late 1960s, and which he intended to publish. The unpublished documents he gathered reveal Smith’s dedication and personal investment in this project. Among them are two chapters, several dozen handwritten and typewritten notes, work files, photocopies of work contracts, plans, engravings, and correspondence – all of which are part of his archive.
A deep connoisseur of Smith’s work, Sílvia Ferreira took on the task of realizing the publication of this unfinished work, in a bilingual critical edition of the original manuscript, dated 1974. She also included a collection of written and photographic material that not only contextualizes the initial research but also provides further insights for its understanding, as well as for Smith’s path and methods as a historian of Portuguese Baroque art. The book also features an introductory text by António Filipe Pimentel.