National Museum of History -MHN, Rio de Janeiro: restoration of the canvas and creation of the permanent room, 1991-1993. The oil painting by Vitor Meireles (1832-1903) - Riachuelo Naval Battle (1882-83), from the National Museum of History collection - is a huge painting measuring 4.2 meters high by 8.2 meters wide, depicting the Paraguayan War (1864-70). It portrays the dramatic and heroic battle on 11 June 1865 between the Paraguayan and Brazilian fleets. This is the second version of the same work, since the first - painted by the artist on the scene of the battle and ordered by the Brazilian Navy to be displayed at the Philadelphia Exposition, in the United Sates in 1876 - was destroyed in an accident on its return to Brazil. The canvas - removed from exhibition in 1985 for later restoration - was in serious need of repair. In 1991 the Friends Association of the National Museum of History, coordinated by Luis Fernando de Carvalho Abreu, began work to restore the painting, eliminating fungi and termites and removing the damar resin varnish, responsible for the yellowish appearance of the picture. It was then sent for re-setting, that is, gluing the original canvas on a reinforcement canvas to make it more resistant. The restorers, who work lying on their backs on scaffolding, used special imported material for painting restoration to restore the painting, and discovered colors and details which had previously gone unnoticed. The canvas was set on a new support, given a special picture frame and a back access was created to permit ongoing suitable conservation by experts. A room was specially prepared for the painting to be on permanent display, with seating for visitors and special focused lighting. Under the command of Admiral Barroso on the frigate Amazonas, the Riachuelo naval battle decimated the Paraguayans, and brought to the end the first stage of the war involving Argentines, Brazilians and Uruguayans in a threefold alliance against Paraguay. This canvas is an integral part of the permanent exhibition on Expansion, Order and Defense - also sponsored by Petrobras - which seeks to show the relations between the formation of Brazilian society and the shaping of national territory, to help in understanding how the Imperial State was built and consolidated and the efforts by its leaders to guarantee territorial integrity from actions which emphasized Unitarianism, political centralization and a conservative attitude. Vítor Meireles was born in Florianópolis and in 1847 was accepted to the Imperial Fine Arts Academy in Rio de Janeiro. He later won the prize of a trip to Europe for him to study in Italy. There he painted The First Mass in Brazil, which was exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1861. On his return to Brazil, after having been decorated with the Imperial Order of the Rose, he was appointed honorary professor of the Imperial Academy, taking over the chair of historic painting from 1862 to 1890. As painter and professor, he accomplished other important historic works, such as Humaitá Passage, where he portrayed another episode of the Paraguay War (also part of the collection of the National Museum of History), Battle of Guararapes and Vow of Princess Isabel.