(Graz 1809–1888)
Porto, “Rua Nova Dos Inclezes”, titled, signed Vinz. Kreuzer, oil on metal, 70 x 53 cm, framed, (Rei)

Provenance:
Private Collection Vienna.

This lot depicts a procession at the start of Rua Nova dos Ingleses in Porto, known since 1883 as Rua do Infante D. Henrique. This road was the preferred location for people looking to establish subsidiary branches of English factories, as it was close to the Douro River. This made it possible to cross over into Porto’s Vila Nove de Gaia district, which was at the heart of the production of port. The British Manufactory (Feitoria Inglesa) was located at the eastern end of the street, on the corner of Rua S. João, which played a decisive role in the nineteenth century when the export of port increased rapidly.

Vinzenz Kreuzer shows a procession in the foreground, which was probably taking place to mark an individual’s last rites. The priest with chrismatory is accompanied by three altar servers, two carrying a candle and one holding a flag with the symbol of Mary. In front of him, there are two monks with a canopy. Citizens kneel down as the clergy pass, saying a final prayer for the dying person. The procession started from the church of the local Franciscan monastery of São Francisco (Igreja de São Francisco), whose complex can be seen rising up in the left half of the picture. The monastery was home to Franciscan monks for almost four centuries until it was completely destroyed during the Liberal Wars in 1833. It was never reconstructed and the Palácio da Bolsa (Stock Exchange) was built atop its ruins in the middle of the nineteenth century.
Even if Vinzenz Kreuzer tends towards depicting an idealised, often anonymised, view, motivated by his desire of abstraction, it is obvious that he visited Porto before the monastery was destroyed. The refined lighting and the delicately reflected rays of sun on the facades emphasise the influence of late Romanticism, which was reflected in Vinzenz Kreuzer’s early work.