THE INFLUENCE OF ROCOCO IN THE POLYCHROMY OF BAIANA SCULPTURE

Abstract

The analysis of the polychromies found in eleven Catholic sacred images in Bahia reveals the
technical mastery of the polychromers of the second half of the 19th century. These images,
with characteristics of the rococo style, demonstrate the artists' skill in the technique of
upholstery, with elaborate sgraffito and brush paintings, where anthropomorphic, zoomorphic,
phytomorphic, and checkered designs are elaborated in "guilloches". The ongoing research has
been dedicated to photographic documentation, formal analysis, and review of existing
literature with the aim of clarifying the period in which they were executed and identifying
whether authorship is attributed to a single artist or if several artists copied pre-existing
prototypes. This research seeks to disseminate the 19th-century Bahian sacred art, highlighting
the richness of the techniques and ornaments used by the polychromers, as well as to                                                betterunderstand the history and development of sacred art in Bahia and the influence of the
rococo style in this context.