National Museum of Ancient Art, the museum where art meets history

This is the Portuguese museum that contains the largest number of works classified as "national treasures"

The NMAA - National Museum of Ancient Art was opened in 1884 in the palace of the XVII century and contains the largest collection of public art in the country. From painting, sculpture, the decorative arts, arising not only from Portugal, but also from Europe and the rest of the world, this museum contains works covering the period from the Middle Ages until the XIX century, including the largest number of artworks, classified as national treasures.

Among the works exhibited in the NMAA stand out the Saint Vincent Panels (pictured), Nuno Gonçalves - a masterpiece of European of XV century painting, which contains a total of sixty figures believed to be worshiping Saint Vincent, and one of them is the Infante Dom Henrique. In NMAA also other works  are highlighted such as the Custódia de Belém, de Gil Vicente, os Biombos Namban, as Tentações de Santo Antão, de Bosch and São Jerónimo, de Dürer.

This museum has arisen due to an old aspiration of the religious orders to give destination to the works of art which then passed into the possession of the state. The NMAA was reformed in 1911, then acquiring the name it currently has. After visiting the museum, be sure to visit its garden, whose restaurant and terrace offer exceptional views over the Tagus and the port of Lisbon.

Address: Rua das Janelas Verdes, 1249-017 Lisboa

Phone: (+351) 21 073 2319

Time: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (closed on Monday)

See the prices here.