Joaquim Machado de Castro CvC
Portrait of the Master Sculptor Joaquim Machado de Castro
Born	(1731-06-19)19 June 1731 Coimbra,Portugal
Died	17 November 1822(1822-11-17) (aged 91) Mártires,Lisbon,Portugal
Known for	Sculpture
Patron	Joseph I of Portugal
Signature

Joaquim Machado de Castro (19 June 1731 – 17 November 1822) was one ofPortugal's foremostsculptors. He wrote extensively on his works and the theory behind them, including a full-length discussion of the statue ofKing Joseph I entitledDescripção analytica da execução da estatua equestre, Lisbon 1810.

Machado de Castro was born inCoimbra, and was a celebrated figure throughoutEurope in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. He was the older stepbrother of organistAntonio Machado e Cerveira, to the latter's benefit in navigating social and political life.^[1] Machado de Castro became active in Lisbon's reconstruction following the earthquake of1755.^[1] As an artist, he was self-taught.^[2]

TheDescripção is the artist's detailed comments on the style and execution of his finest work, the equestrian statue of D. José I, erected in 1775 as part of the rebuilding of central Lisbon after the disastrous earthquake of 1755. The project had been approved bySebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, theMarquis of Pombal, in 1759, but Machado de Castro only accepted the commission in 1770, after the artistEugénio dos Santos left the project unfinished.^[3] The stages of construction are illustrated with sections and cross-sections of the horse and rider, views of the statue from different angles, and details of armor and ornamentation. This bronze statue remains one of Lisbon's most important monuments, and dominates one of the major squares of Europe, thePraça do Comércio or Terreiro do Paço. In the introduction, Machado de Castro comments on similar works of art in the rest of Europe.

Machado de Castro had a famous school and was the Master of many sculptors. He died inLisbon. InCoimbra there is a prestigious art museum named in his honour, theMachado de Castro National Museum.

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