Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga

Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga aka Palácio Alvor was built in the late 17th century at the behest of the first Count of Alvor, after his return from India, where he had served as Viceroy.

The palace remained in the hands of the family until the mid-18th century, when it became the property of a brother of the Marquis of Pombal, Paulo de Carvalho, before becoming the residence of a rich diamond trader, Dutch consul in Portugal, Daniel Gildemeester, who sponsored major improvement work to the building’s interior spaces.

Created in 1884, and housed in the Palácio Alvor for almost 130 years, the MNAA-Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga has had its current title for more than a century. It is the home to the most important Portuguese public collection of art, ranging from paintings to sculpture, and gold and silverware, as well as decorative arts from Europe, Africa and the Far East.

Comprising over 40,000 items, the MNAA collection has the largest number of works from Painting, Sculpture and Decorative Arts, classified by the State as “national treasures”. In its various sections, it also has a number of major works of art in the context of the world artistic heritage.

A historical legacy (resulting from the incorporations of both the country’s ecclesiastical property and the contents of its royal palaces), the MNAA collection has been further enhanced over the years. Generous donations and important purchases, illustrating, some of the best artistic work produced or accumulated in Portugal, between the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Contemporary Era. More