João Nóbrega Fernandes
(1942-2005)
He was born on April 30th, 1942, in São João Latrão, São Gonçalo parish. He is son of José Fernandes e de Maria José Nóbrega Fernandes. He got married with Maria Angelina Mendonça de Freitas Fernandes on December 20th, 1969, in the parish of Sagrado Coração de Jesus, in Santa Maria Maior parish, with no children.
On October 1st, 1957, he began his professional activity as an apprentice and carpenter assistant, in the Francisco Freitas civil construction company, based in Santa Maria Maior Street, 248, in Funchal.
In 1967, he emigrated to Angola, where he worked in various companies.
With the decolonization in 1975, he returned to Madeira, being admitted to the Funchal City Hall, initially as first grade carpenter in the Serviço de Obras, but progressively rising in his career, reaching the position of general foreman in 2001.
In 1978, for service convenience, while working in the carpentry workshop of the Municipal Theatre, he attended a course for Construction Site Supervisor. From September 1983 to March of the following year, he attended the Fine Carpentry Course at the Ricardo Espírito Santo Foundation in Lisbon. Later, in 1986 and 1987, he completed two internships in Inlay Works at the São Pedro Parish Council and at the Technical Department of the former Institute of Embroidery, Tapestries and Handicrafts of Madeira (IBTAM). The second, in the area of Inlay work Restoration, was taught at the same institution. Between 1988 and 1995, he restored furniture from the municipal collection.
As from 2004, after the inauguration of the Madeira Theme Park in Santana, he was one of the requested craftsmen to practice his trade there.
Between 1995 to 2003, he participated in individual and collective exhibitions that took place in Funchal City Hall, in Casa dos Romeiros of Ponta Delgada and at the São Roque Parish Council.
His most relevant inlay work was a 5 litre barrel of «Vinho da Madeira Malvasia 1920» (Madeira wine-Malmsey), offered by Funchal City Hall to the Pope João Paulo II, in his visit to Madeira on May 12th, 1991. One of the coats of arms of the Vatican is reproduced, along with the shield featuring the colours of the Funchal municipality.
He had a workshop in Caminho dos Salões, nº 27, in São Gonçalo parish, with the goal of being a marquetry learning centre. He was known as Mestre Nóbrega.
He passed away on October 15th, 2005.
