LISBON - Portugal - page 64

breath-of-fresh-air simplicity (Manet's bubble-blower) to the glinting, shimmering Im-
pressionism of Monet...Renoir...and John Singer Sargent.
René Lalique Jewelry: Finish your visit with the stunning, sumptuous Art
Nouveau glasswork and jewelry of French designer René Lalique (1860-1945). Fragile
beauty like this, from the elegant turn-of-the-century belle époque, was about to be
shattered by the tumultuous 20th century. Art Nouveau emphasized forms from nature and
valued the organic and artisan over cold, calculated mass production. Ordinary dragon-
flies, orchids, and beetles become breathtaking when transformed into jewelry. The work
of Lalique—just another of Gulbenkian's circle of friends—is a fitting finale to a museum
that features both history and beauty.
East Lisbon
▲▲ Museum of Ancient Art (Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga) —This is Portugal's
finest museum for paintings from its glory days, the 15th and 16th centuries. (Most of
these works were gathered from Lisbon's abbeys and convents after their dissolution in
1834.) You'll also find a rich collection of furniture, as well as art by renowned European
masters such as Hieronymus Bosch, Jan van Eyck, and Raphael—all in a grand palace.
Pick up the free informative pamphlet at the entrance.
Cost and Hours: €5, free Sun until 14:00; open Tue 14:00-18:00, Wed-Sun
10:00-18:00, closed Mon; tel. [phone].
Getting There: It's located about a mile west of downtown Lisbon (from Praça da
Figueira, take trolley #15E to Cais Rocha, cross the street and walk up a lot of steps; or
take bus #760 to Rua das Janeles Verdes 9).
Services: The museum has a good cafeteria with seating in a shaded garden overlook-
ing the river.
Self-Guided Tour: Here are some of the museum's highlights, starting on the top
floor.
ThirdFloor — PortuguesePaintings: The Adoration of St. Vincent is a multi-paneled
altarpiece by the late-15th-century master Nuno Gonçalves. A gang of 60 real
people—everyone from royalty to sailors and beggars—surrounds Lisbon's patron saint.
In Room 1, if you've visited the sights in Belém, you'll recognize the Monastery of Jer-
ónimos before it was fully decorated (painting by Felipe Lobo). Room 2 contains a small
collection of paintings that depict Lisbon after the horrific 1755 earthquake.
Second Floor — Japanese Screen and Jewels: Find the enchanting Namban screen
painting (Namban means “barbarians from the south”). It shows the Portuguese from a
16th-century Japanese perspective—with long noses as well as great skill at climbing rig-
ging, like acrobats. The Portuguese, the first Europeans to make contact with Japan, gave