Palaces of Lisbon
Friday, 7 November 2025
Friday, 7 November 2025
Palace of Belém (Official Residence of the president of the Portuguese Republic)
Praça Afonso de Albuquerque
The Bicas Room in the National Palace of Belém is one of the finest examples of the Baroque style from the reign of the king D. João V. Some historians argue that, based on its characteristics, that the painting of Sala das Bicas should be attributed to the painter Vitorino Manuel da Serra.
The composition is organized as a large central baldachin, supported by an ornamental structure imitating gilded woodcarving, with four supports functioning as pilasters rising from the corners of the room, connected by arches that form the frame of the central panel, where we find a beautiful allegorical composition dedicated to the goddess Flora
(Carita, H. and Salvador, M., in: https://acasasenhorial.org/acs/index.php/en/casos-de-estudo/casosdeestudo/627-sala-das-bicas)
Pombeiro Palace
Largo do Conde de Pombeiro, 24
It features a remarkable ceiling painting representing the Triumph of the Arts, in which painting and poetry are carried in glory on a triumphal chariot, drawn by Pegasus, towards the Palace of Jupiter. Following them is a procession of European monarchs: Maria Theresa of Austria, Frederick of Prussia, and Catherine the Great of Russia, distinguished figures of the European Enlightenment. On the central axis, one can see King Manuel I of Portugal, Pope Leo X, and Francis I of France. The ensemble of personalities also includes Alexander the Great with his horse Bucephalus, as well as the Roman Emperor Augustus. At the end of this parade of illustrious figures appear Aeneas and a group of Greek warriors. Finally, there is an intriguing interpretation of Greco-Roman classical sculpture in the figure of the Gladiator, probably conceived on the basis of graphic sources, perhaps from the emblematic work of François Perrier (Cents Statues antiques dessinées et gravées par François Perrier, 1638).
The Triumph of the Arts is further enriched with gods from classical mythology, such as Mercury, here depicted as Psychopomp, Juno, the queen of the heavens, Hercules, Venus, Mars, Diana, and also the sea deities Neptune and Amphitrite. The paintings of the Arcadia Room can be dated to c. 1788–1790.
(Braga, S., in: https://acasasenhorial.org/acs/index.php/pt/casos-de-estudo/casosdeestudo/346-sala-arcadia-palacio-pombeiro)
Palace of the Baron of Quintela and Count of Farrobo
Rua do Alecrim, n.º 56-72
The Palace of Baron of Quintela is a post-earthquake building from 1755, design by Bartolomeu Quintela. The ceiling painting in the main hall is by the artist Cyrillo Volkmar Machado (made in 1786). It depicts various gods and goddesses from Greco-Roman mythology, detailing the arrival of the portuguese in the Orient as told by the poet Camões. It can be considerard the first ceiling painting of the city of Lisbon based on the poem Os Lusíadas, by Luis Vaz de Camões.
Praça Afonso de Albuquerque
The Bicas Room in the National Palace of Belém is one of the finest examples of the Baroque style from the reign of the king D. João V. Some historians argue that, based on its characteristics, that the painting of Sala das Bicas should be attributed to the painter Vitorino Manuel da Serra.
The composition is organized as a large central baldachin, supported by an ornamental structure imitating gilded woodcarving, with four supports functioning as pilasters rising from the corners of the room, connected by arches that form the frame of the central panel, where we find a beautiful allegorical composition dedicated to the goddess Flora
(Carita, H. and Salvador, M., in: https://acasasenhorial.org/acs/index.php/en/casos-de-estudo/casosdeestudo/627-sala-das-bicas)
Pombeiro Palace
Largo do Conde de Pombeiro, 24
It features a remarkable ceiling painting representing the Triumph of the Arts, in which painting and poetry are carried in glory on a triumphal chariot, drawn by Pegasus, towards the Palace of Jupiter. Following them is a procession of European monarchs: Maria Theresa of Austria, Frederick of Prussia, and Catherine the Great of Russia, distinguished figures of the European Enlightenment. On the central axis, one can see King Manuel I of Portugal, Pope Leo X, and Francis I of France. The ensemble of personalities also includes Alexander the Great with his horse Bucephalus, as well as the Roman Emperor Augustus. At the end of this parade of illustrious figures appear Aeneas and a group of Greek warriors. Finally, there is an intriguing interpretation of Greco-Roman classical sculpture in the figure of the Gladiator, probably conceived on the basis of graphic sources, perhaps from the emblematic work of François Perrier (Cents Statues antiques dessinées et gravées par François Perrier, 1638).
The Triumph of the Arts is further enriched with gods from classical mythology, such as Mercury, here depicted as Psychopomp, Juno, the queen of the heavens, Hercules, Venus, Mars, Diana, and also the sea deities Neptune and Amphitrite. The paintings of the Arcadia Room can be dated to c. 1788–1790.
(Braga, S., in: https://acasasenhorial.org/acs/index.php/pt/casos-de-estudo/casosdeestudo/346-sala-arcadia-palacio-pombeiro)
Palace of the Baron of Quintela and Count of Farrobo
Rua do Alecrim, n.º 56-72
The Palace of Baron of Quintela is a post-earthquake building from 1755, design by Bartolomeu Quintela. The ceiling painting in the main hall is by the artist Cyrillo Volkmar Machado (made in 1786). It depicts various gods and goddesses from Greco-Roman mythology, detailing the arrival of the portuguese in the Orient as told by the poet Camões. It can be considerard the first ceiling painting of the city of Lisbon based on the poem Os Lusíadas, by Luis Vaz de Camões.
