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Created in 1884, Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga is the main painting museum in Portugal. It houses the most well-known collection from the 12C to the 19C, painting, sculpture, silver, gold and jewellery, decorative arts – Portuguese, European, African and Oriental, including the largest number of works classified as “national treasures”. Among them The Panels of Saint Vincent, by Nuno Goncalves, and the Belem Monstrance, commissioned by king Manuel I and made gold brought by Vasco da Gama on his second return from India. The exhibits are housed in a 17C palace that was built for the counts of Alvor. In 1910 a modern annexe, including the main façade was added.<br><br>It “has the largest collection of paintings I Portugal and is particularly strong on early religious works by Portuguese artists. The majority of exhibits came from convents and monasteries following the suppression of religious orders in 1834. There are also extensive displays of sculpture, silverware, porcelain and applied arts giving an overview of Portuguese art from the Middles Ages to the 19C, Complemented by many fine European and Oriental pieces.” Eyewitness Travel Guide.<br>
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Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga The Portuguese National Gallery of Art, Lisbon Panels of St Vincent (Detail). c1470. NunoGoncalves. First created 20 Oct 2018. Version 1.1 - 9 Nov 2018. Daperro. London.
Historical perspective Portuguese Paintings Portugal is a small country, with a population of about 10m, situated at the edge of Europe, facing the Atlantic Ocean on one side and surrounded by Spain on the landward side. Its greatest achievement is the discovery of the sea route to the orient and established itself as the first global empire in human history. The person who planned, oversee and financed this adventure is Prince Henry the Navigator. The Monument to the Discoveries, with Prince Henry leading. Huge wave from the Atlantic, Nazare. Photo by Rafael Merchante
Panels of St Vincent There very few historically authentic portrait of Prince Henry the Navigator. For this reason the panel is a valuable historic document. “One of the more controversial issues concerning the panels is the depiction of Prince Henry the Navigator. At first glance the man in black in the third panel is quite compatible with the tradition conception of Prince Henry’s likeness a man with a light moustache” Wikipedia 23.10.18 Others think this man in the fifth panel is Prince Henry or Duke of Braganca. Most accepted this was Henry the Navigator on the third Panel
Panels of St Vincent Details the 4th panel. The description of the painting at the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga.
Belem Monstrance 1506 This is probably the next important artefact, the Belem Monstrance. It was made from gold bought back by Vasco de Gama on his voyage to India. Vasco de Gama route to India..
Discovery of India. Tapestry. The Manuel I (reign 1495-1521) commissioned a series of tapestries on the discovery of India by Vasco de Gama.
Discovery of India. Tapestry. Vasco de Gama on the bottom right of picture. A flock of peacocks from India (?).
Discovery of India. Tapestry. An unicorn being lower from the ship and camels waiting on the ship.
Jose Pinhao de Matos The gallery also has two huge paintings on the maritime history of Portugal by Jose Pinao de Matos
Jose Pinhao de Matos 18C ship building in Lisbon, this site occupied the land next today’s Praca do Comercio. A fleet of Portuguese warships were mooring here on the Rio Tejo.
Jose Pinhao de Matos Praca do Comercio, Lisbon next to the shipyard. Several caravels were included in the painting. It was ship the helped that the Portuguese used to explore the West African coast and into the Atlantic Ocean.
Francisco Henriques Many of the paintings at the gallery are displayed as a group. These are described as altarpieces. Many of the older paintings were once belong to part of an altarpiece from old churches. Unlike the single large painting altarpieces in other countries, Portuguese altarpieces were often made up a group of smaller paintings, at least in early 16C.
Francisco Henriques Francisco Henriques (died 1518) was a Flemish painter from Bruges, active in Portugal in the early 16C. The Evora altarpiece is his second most important large polypytch from Church of St Francis in Evora.
The altarpiece of St James, Master of Lourinha St James is one of the Apostles and he is the patron saint of Spain. Sometimes he is portrayed as a knight, because he miraculously appeared in a battle between the Christian and the Moors, the Battle of Clavijo on the 23 May 834. St James is credited for driving the Moors off the Iberia peninsula. A military order, called the Order of Santiago was found in Portugal and Spain, initial to protect the pilgrims, to defend Christendom and to drive the Muslim Moors from the Iberian Peninsula.
WenceslauCifka One of the more interest object of the gallery is this porcelain violin.
Arnau and Ferrer Bassa Foreign Paintings The gallery’s collection is divided into two sections – the Portuguese paintings and the foreign paintings. This is one of the oldest from Catalonia.
Master of San Martino a Mensola An early Italian Renaissance painting.
Hans Holbein, the Elder. German. This is the father of the more famous son Hans Holbein, the Younger. The gallery has works by several Renaissance German artists like Lucas Cranach the Elder and Albrecht Durer.
Lucas Cranach the Elder. German. A very refine portrait. His art were used as the symbol of the new Protestant faith, as oppose to the art of Reformation.
Albrecht Durer. German. Albrecht Durer was a very successful painter, printmaker and theorist. His prints were sold widely, helping to established his reputation and influence across Europe.
Kano Naizen. Japanese Kano Naizen (1570-1616) a Japanese painter of the well-known Kano school. Kano is his professional name and his own name was Shigesato. He worked mostly with his father and brothers in the Kano workshop in Kyoto, to restore many imperial buildings, temples and Shrines.
Jan Provoost. Flemish One of many triptych painting in the gallery.
Anthony van Dyck. Flemish Anthony van Dyck was a student of Ruben and well-known for his double portraits. Like Diego Velazquez, he was pre-eminent talent to work mainly as court portraitists. He was the personal painter for Charles I of England. Like his contemporary Frans Hals, he was known for his working very fast on his paintings.
JaunBaulistaMarinez del Mazo. Spanish Juan Bautista Martinez del Mazo, a follower and the son-In-law of Velazquez. He did copies of Velazquez's royal portraits, in particularly portrait of Infanta Margaret Theresa. Nevertheless, Mazo also painted true-to-life naturalism.
Elisabeth Louise VigeeLeBrun. French Vigee-Lebrun specialised in the attractive and charming depiction of women and children. She was particularly associated with queen Marie-Antoinette.
George Romney. English. George Romney was a fashionable and popular English portraitist. He was known for his portrait of Lady Hamilton.
John Hoppner. English. John Hoppner, an English portraitist was a follower of Reynolds and his rival Lawrence.
