National Museum Machado de Castro

File:Coimbra November 2012-5.jpg

detail of the courtyard

The National Museum Machado de Castro (Museu Nacional de Machado de Castro) is an art museum in Coimbra, Portugal, named after the renowned Portuguese sculptor Joaquim Machado de Castro. It first opened in 1913 and its latest renovation (2004-2012), which included the addition of a new building, was awarded the Piranesi/Prix de Rome Prize 2014.

Museum's history

The Machado de Castro Museum is one of the most important art museums in Portugal. It is housed in the former Bishop's Palace. This palace was built from the Middle Ages onwards roughly on the site where the Roman forum of Aeminium (Coimbra's roman name) once stood. The remains of this distant past, the Cryptoporticus, can be visited on the lower floors of the museum.

• Museu Machado de Castro porta da cerca medieval entrada do museu IMG 0071.JPG

  Medieval entrance; entrance to the museum

• Paço Episcopal de Coimbra ou Museu Nacional de Machado de Castro.jpg

  Former Bishop's Palace

• Coimbra November 2012-6.jpg

  Former Bishop's Palace

• G Byrne Museu Machado de Castro 2 IMG 0082.JPG

  Access to the museum

• G Byrne Museu Machado de Castro 2 IMG 0301.jpg

  New restaurant

• ForumRomanoDeCoimbra1.jpg

  Roman Cryptoporticus

• ForumRomanoDeCoimbra3.jpg

  Roman Cryptoporticus

• G Byrne Museu Machado de Castro 2 IMG 0165.JPG

  Museum interior (new building)

• G Byrne Museu Machado de Castro 2 IMG 0185.jpg

  Museum interior (new building)

• G Byrne Museu Machado de Castro 2 IMG 0181.JPG

  Museum interior (new building)

Collections

The bulk of the museum's collection is made up of items from churches and religious institutions in the area surrounding Coimbra. The collections of sculpture (the most extensive of all the national museums of Portugal), painting, precious metals, ceramics and textiles are especially noteworthy.

Archaeology

• Retrato de Agripina-a-Antiga c 40 dc Museu Machado de Castro IMG 0154.JPG

  Portrait of Agripina, 1st Century, 54 x 34 x 34 cm

• Head of Trajan, from the Cryptoporticus of Aeminium, Coimbra, Portugal (12570466063).jpg

  Portrait of Trajan, 1st-2nd Century, 70 x 32 x 34 cm

• Portrait of Livia from Aeminium (Coimbra, Portugal), circa 30 AD, Machado de Castro National Museum, Coimbra, Portugal (12990788884).jpg

  Female Portrait, 1st Century, 32 x 32 x 22 cm

Sculpture

• Cavaleiro medieval IMG 0171.JPG

  Master Pero, Medieval Knight, 14th Century, 72 x 65 x 19,5 cm

• Cristo Negro sec XIV IMG 0172.JPG

  Unknown author, Black Christ, 14th Century, wood, 284,5 x 140 x 61 cm

• Christ-MNMC.jpg

  Unknown author, Christ in His Tomb, 14th-15th Century, stone, 64 x 151 x 65 cm

• Mestre dos túmulos reais Virgem da Anunciação 1500-1525 2 IMG 0323.JPG

  Master of the Royal Tombs, Virgin of the Annunciation, 1500-1525

• João de Ruão Deposição de Cristo no túmulo 1535-1540 1 IMG 0343.JPG

  João de Ruão, Deposition of Christ, 1535-1540, 222 x 225 cm

• João de Ruão Martírio de S Bartolomeu sec XVI IMG 0201.jpg

  João de Ruão, St. Bartholomew's Martyrdom, 16th Century

• João de Ruão S João Baptista Sec XVI IMG 0197.JPG

  João de Ruão, St. John the Baptist, 16th Century

• João de Ruão Santa Inês séc XVI 110 x 46 x 25 cm IMG 0196.JPG

  João de Ruão, St. Agnes, 16th Century, 110 x 46 x 25 cm

• Retábulo da Natividade séc XVI madeira 106,5 x 162 x 29,5 cm IMG 0309.JPG

  Altarpiece of the Nativity, Antwerp, 16th Century, 106,5 x 162 x 29,5 cm

• Olivier de Gand S Jerónimo S Gregório Papa sec XVI IMG 0304.JPG

  Olivier de Gand, St. Geronimo and Pope St. Gregory, 16th Century

Painting

• Senhora da Rosa sec XV Museu Machado de Castro.JPG

  Unknown Author, Madonna of the Rose, 15th Century, 209 x 128 cm

• Tríptico de Santa Clara Sec XV Museu Machado de Castro.jpg

  Santa Clara triptych, 16th Century, 297 x 342 cm

• Mestres do Sardoal Assunção da Virgem séc XVI 168 x 135 cm.jpg

  Sardoal Masters, The assumption of the Virgin, 16th Century, 168 x 135 cm

• Quentin Metsys Tríptico da Paixão de Cristo c 1517 3.jpg

  Quentin Metsys, Triptych of the passion of Christ, c. 1514-17

• Quentin Metsys Tríptico da Paixão de Cristo c 1517 4.jpg

  Quentin Metsys, Triptych of the passion of Christ, c. 1514-17

• Cristóvão de Figueiredo Imperador Heraclio com a Santa Cruz 1522-1530.jpg

  Cristóvão de Figueiredo

• Garcia Fernandes Tríptico da Aparição de Cristo à Virgem 1531 98,5 x 123,5 cm.jpg

  Garcia Fernandes

• Bernardo Manuel Lamentação de Cristo 1570-1580 178 x 160 cm.jpg

  Bernardo Manuel, The Lamentation of Christ, 1570-1580, 178 x 160 cm

• Josefa de Óbidos - Lactação de São Bernardo - MNMC.jpg

  Josefa de Óbidos

• André Gonçalves - goncalves adoracao-1.jpg

  André Gonçalves, Adoration of the Magi, 18th Century

Applied arts

• Custódia do Sacramento IMG 0310.JPG

  Custódia do Sacramento, 18th Century, 162 x 96 x 99 cm

• Peça de ourivesaria Museu Machado de Castro IMG 0217.JPG

  Piece of jewellery

• Tapeçaria de Vénus e Marte surpreendidos por Vulcano sec XVI 360 x 405 cm.jpg

  Venus and Mars surprised by Vulcan, tapestry, 16th Century, 360 x 405 cm

• Tapete de Medalhão, séc XVI.jpg

  "Kashan" carpet, 16th Century, silk

• Frontal de altar em azulejo, c1670.JPG

  Altar piece, ceramic tiles, c.1670

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons

External links

• Planetware information