MUSEU NACIONAL DE ARTE ANTIGA
Lisbon’s Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (MNAA) is Portugal’s national gallery, a treasure trove of historically illuminating art. Housed in a 17th-century palace overlooking the river and port area, the museum was inaugurated in 1884. Today it contains a vast selection of European art dating from the 14th to the 19th centuries, and includes the most complete collection of Portuguese works in the world.
NEED TO KNOW
Rua das Janelas Verdes • 213 912 800 • www.museudearteantiga.pt • Open 10am–6pm Tue–Sun. Closed Jan 1, Easter Sun, May 1, Jun 13, Dec 25 • Adm $7.50; reduced $4; under 12 free
- There is a lot to see here, so study the layout and decide what to concentrate on. For 15 minutes with Nuno Gonçalves or Hiëronymus Bosch, it may be worth giving the world’s largest collection of 18th-century French silverware a miss.
- An alternative to the museum restaurant for lunch or dinner is the nearby rooftop bar Le Chat, which offers breathtaking views, live music, and good cocktails (www.lechatlisboa.com).
Gallery Floor Plan
1. The Panels of St. Vincent
A key Portuguese painting, this polyptych of around 1470 (probably by Nuno Gonçalves) portrays rich and poor in fascinating detail.
2. Martyrdom of St. Sebastian
Painted by Gregório Lopes (1490–1550) around 1536, this work was a part of a group of paintings set to be placed on the altars of the Rotunda of the Convento de Cristo.
3. Chapel of St. Albert
The chapel of the former Carmelite convent of Santo Alberto (currently closed for renovation) is decorated with azulejos.
4. Portuguese and Chinese Ceramics
The museum’s 7,500-piece collection of ceramics illustrates the interplay of international trade influences. From the 16th century, Portuguese faïence displays traces of Ming, while Chinese porcelain includes Portuguese coats of arms and other similar motifs.
5. Indo-Portuguese Furniture
The most interesting of the museum’s furniture collections is probably the group of Indo-Portuguese pieces. The contadores are many-drawered chests that combine orderliness with decorative abandon.
Indo-Portuguese Furniture
6. Namban Screens
After encountering Portuguese travelers in the 16th century, Japan’s artists portrayed them as namban-jin, or “southern barbarians.” These screens depict the arrival of Portuguese ships in the port of Nagasaki.
Namban Screens
7. Garden, Restaurant, and Shop
The museum’s restaurant has lovely views of the garden and the river. There is a well-stocked gift shop on the first floor.
8. St. Jerome
This unusual portrait transcends the conventions of religious art. Painted in 1521 by Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528)—who used a 93-year-old man from Antwerp as his model—it is a powerful portrayal of wisdom and old age.
9. The Temptations of St. Anthony
Hiëronymus Bosch’s (1450–1516) three-paneled feast of fear and fantasy, painted around 1500, is one of the gallery's great treasures—and one of the world’s greatest paintings.
The Temptations of St. Anthony
10. Conversation
Pieter de Hooch (1629–84) was a genre painter whose treatment of light was perhaps more complex than that of his contemporary Vermeer. This work shows his key qualities as an artist.
LA NUIT DES MUSÉES
If you are in Lisbon in May, visit this museum at night to enjoy a program of concerts and other events—not least the guided midnight tours. Part of a Europe-wide French initiative to make museum visits more than occasional Sunday afternoon outings, La Nuit des Musées gives access to the museum’s treasures in a quite different context.
