PORTUGAL, LISBON: MUSEO GULBENKIAN, IGREJA MUSEO SAO ROCQUE

 June 24, 2022

After our morning at the Belém Tower and Jerónimos Monastery, we got an Uber to take us to the Gulbenkian Art Museum.  A word here about Uber in Portugal: CHEAP. We rarely paid more than $7 for a ride, including a tip. We had planned to take the Lisbon metro everywhere, but why? This was faster and didn't break the bank, and somehow we were still getting in 10,000+ steps/day.

Established in 1957, the Gulbenkian Art Museum houses one of the most important private art collections in the world. It includes many pieces sold off by Leningrad's Hermitage Museum in 1930 and 1931, as well as works by the likes of Renoir, Rubens, Rembrandt, Rodin, Monet, Manet, Gainsborough, Ghirlandaio, Degas, Turner, and others.

Calouste Gulbenkian was born in what is now Turkey in 1869 and died in Lisbon in 1955. He made a fortune in petroleum and gave a lot of that fortune to philanthropic organizations. He also collected over 6,400 pieces of art during his lifetime, and a good portion of it is held by the museum that bears his name in Lisbon. Of the roughly 6,000 items held by the museum, about 1,000 are on display at any given time.

I was kind of hoping this gentleman in the lobby was Mr. Gulbenkian, but the plaque on the wall says he is Jean-D'Aire, the Burgher of Calais, and he was sculpted by Auguste Rodin in 1913.

The collection covers a wide swath of history and culture. The bas relief on the left is from Assyria in the 9th century BC, and the chimney tiles on the right are from 17th century Turkey.

This was my favorite piece in the Middle Eastern tile section: 

Tile panel with Prunus Trees in Moonlight (Turkey, c. 1580)

I am usually more interested in European art, however, and that's where we spent most of our time. Here are some of my favorites. Be happy I spared you from all 500 of my favorites.

Portrait of a Young Woman by
Domenico Gherlandaio (Florence, c. 1490)

The Virgin and St. John by an unknown artist (Upper Rhine/Swabia, c. 1500-1520) and a close-up of John's wonderful upturned face.

This guy who looks like he could have been part of the Inquisition, but he is from the wrong country.

Portrait of a Man by Anton van Dyck
Flanders, c. 1620

The internet says this painting is in the Thyssen Museum in Madrid. Hmmm.

Self-Portrait by Rembrandt (Holland, c. 1642)

Old Man with a Stick by Rembrandt (Holland 1645)

This Bust of Molière by Jean-Jacques Caffieri (Paris, 1785) seems to be flirting with the coy Portrait of Helena Fourment by Peter Paul Rubens (Flanders, c. 1630), but she is a little too old for him.

This lady is more his age.

Portrait of Mrs. Lowndes-Stone by
Thomas Gainsborough (England, c. 1775)

I was surprised by the date this marble bust was carved. She looks quite contemporary.

Herm of the Vestal Tuccia by
Antonio Canova (Rome, 1818)

This is one of my absolute favorites.  Those hats! The photographic quality of the faces! The murky men standing watch! The title? Who are they forgiving or what are they being forgiven for??

Breton Women with Forgiveness by Pascal-Adolphe-Jean
Dagnan-Bouveret (France 1887)

Where are the ballerinas? It was nice to see something else by Degas, even if it is a self-portrait.

Self-Portrait or Degas Saluting by 
Edgar Degas (France, c. 1863)

Is that a bored face or a resentful one?

The Reading by Henri Fantin-Latour (France, 1870)

Not my favorite Cassat, but nice to see her work here. (France, c. 1891)

The Stocking by Mary Cassatt (France, 

This one must be a crowd favorite. It was on lots of postcards and other souvenirs in the gift shop.

Boy Blowing Bubbles by Edouard Manet
(France, 1867)

I was surprised to learn the name of the artist who painted this work.

Lady and Child Asleep in a Punt under the Willows by
John Singer Sargent (England, 1887)

Another artist surprise.

Still Life with Melon by Claude Monet (France, c. 1872)

I am realizing that I have a thing for French 19th century art. This is Claude Monet's first wife who died at age 32 of what is now thought to be cervical cancer.

Portrait of Camille Monet by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
(France, c. 1872)

Another of my favorite favorites, and NOT a French artist.

The Mirror of Venus by Edward Jones (England, 1898)

After our artistic journey, we Uber-ed to the Igreja Museo São Rocque (Church Museum of St. Roch/Rock) for some religious enlightenment. We noticed this life-sized statue close to the church. I didn't know who it represented at the time, but I've since discovered that he is a lottery ticket seller. Note the shiny gold ticket in his hand, polished every day by those who walk by and touch it for good luck.

Also nearby is this statue of Father António Vieira, a Jesuit priest born in Lisbon in 1608 but raised in Brazil. He returned to Portugal at age 32 and made a name for himself as a writer, an orator, and a defender of the persecuted under the Inquisition in Portugal as well as the indigenous people of Brazil. Can you see the faces in the upper windows? Kind of weird.

São Rocque/St. Roch (or Rock) is a 14th-century Catholic/Italian saint especially invoked against the plague. He is also the patron saint of dogs, invalids, those who are falsely accused, bachelors, and many other things. The church named after him is the earliest Jesuit church in Portugal and one of the first Jesuit churches anywhere. Built between 1506 and 1619, it is one of the few churches in Lisbon that escaped major damage during the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.

The most unique feature of the church is this elephant, representing the REAL elephant sent to Rome by the Portuguese King (Manuel I) in about 1475 as a gift for the new Pope, Leo X. 

I loved the hand-painted wall tiles. Viewed from a distance, they look perfect, but seen up close there are variations and imperfections.

The church has eight side-chapels and an additional five altars in the transepts.  The first chapel is the Chapel of Our Lady of Doctrine, created in the late 17th century. "Our Lady," or Mary, is in the center and is flanked by St. Joachim and St. Anne.

The Chapel of the Most Holy Sacrament was founded in 1636, although the current décor is a little more recent.

I love the circle of angels around Mary, each with a different expression.

The Altar of the Annunciation seems pretty standard, although incredibly ornate.

But the Altar of the Holy Virgins is something else entirely. It was created specifically to house a vast collection of female relics (i.e., body parts) donated to the Jesuits in 1588.

And across the way is the male version, the Altar of the Holy Martyrs, containing more of relics.

These bones encased in glass are incredibly creepy, but those who lived in the 16th century were much more exposed to death and decay than we are.

The main altar at the front of the church is so gold that it almost gave me a sunburn.

By the way, the ceiling of the church is intriguing tromp l'oeil. I wonder why there is no dome on the church?

The Altar of the Most Holy Trinity has an 18th century Pietà.

The Chapel of St. John the Baptist took a team of artists over five years to build and is considered to be the highlight of the chapel tour in this church. It was assembled in Rome and transported in three ships to Lisbon in 1747, where it took five more years to complete. At that time it was the most expensive chapel in all of Europe. The centerpiece painting is by Agostino Masucci.

A 1747 scale model of the chapel is in the church museum. It was probably used to seek approval and financial support from the king.

The Chapel of Our Lady of Piety, probably my favorite of all the chapels, includes another emotional Pietà and circle of angels.

Below the altar is a 19th century sculpture in a glass coffin-like case: "Our Lady of the Happy Death." You have to love that name, especially in light of all the pain and suffering going on in the rest of the scene.

Off to the left of the altar is Veronica displaying the cloth with which Jesus wiped his face on the road to Calvary, and on the right is Longinus, the Roman soldier who pierced Jesus's side with a sword or spear and, in some traditions, became a convert to Christianity. 

The Chapel of St. Francis Xavier honors the 16th century co-founder of the Society of Jesus/Jesuits  who was an early missionary to India and the Far East.

I don't have a photo of the altar in the Chapel of St. Anthony, but I love these two paintings on the side walls: The Temptation of St. Anthony and His Vision of the Virgin and especially St. Anthony Preaching to the Fish by Vieira Lusitano.

This is not a very good photo of the Chapel of the Holy Family.

But that's okay, because the best part is the two paintings on the flanking walls, The Adoration of the Shepherds and The Adoration of the Magi by André Reinoso. I wish I'd been able to get a straight-on shot, but visitors are prevented from getting too close.

Attached to the São Rocque church is the Museum of São Rocque. We sped through it rather quickly, finding it somewhat underwhelming.  However, a few things caught my attention.

I don't think I have ever seen a depiction of Andrew's crucifixion. He is often depicted carrying an x-shaped cross, the instrument of his death.

Martyrdom of St. Andrew (study)
by Frans Francken II (Begium, early 17th century) 

I came to really appreciate St. Anthony, patron saint of Lisbon. I mean, who wouldn't love a priest who preached to fish?

St. Anthony of Lisbon, unknown artist
(Portugal, early 17th century)

If I am remembering correctly, these are essentially mannequins or figures used by seamstresses

This painting captures the moment when Peter tells Jesus He can't wash his feet.

Ceremony of the Washing of the Feet by Simão Rodrigues
amd Domingos Vieira Serrão (Portugal c. 1600)

The Portuguese seem to love Joachim and Anna, the parents of Mary. We saw many depictions of them. Don't they look like people you'd like to know?

St. Joachim and Ste. Anne, artist unknown
(Portugal, c. 1700)

Another depiction of the couple.

St. Joachim and Ste. Anne, artist unknown
(Portugal, late 1700s)

There is so much to love about this painting--the rich colors, God peering out over the clouds at Mary, the sweet cherubs, the glowing dove, the fabric of Angel Gabriel's clothes and his wings . . .

The Annunciation by Agostino Masucci
(Rome, 1742)

I'll end this post with a few photos of what we saw after we left  São Rocque. 

When you don't have a dryer in your apartment and you don't have a yard and a regular clothesline, the balcony railings are a great substitution. On the right is a typical sidewalk. Portugal in general and Lisbon specifically has phenomenal cobblestone work.

We didn't make it inside the Carmo Archaeological Museum, housed in the Carmo Convent, but we were intrigued by its lack of a roof. Apparently, this is the result of  the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake.

Queijadas de Sintra are a signature Portuguese pastry that actually did originate in Sintra, as its name implies. Shops devoted to selling the sweet, cheese-based pastry are all over the country. We stopped at what was supposed to be one of the best. They sell fresh queijadas, as well as take-home versions packed in decorative tubes.

They are a bit like crème brule, with a crispy crust covering a custard feeling. They weren't the best ones we had, but they were enough to get us to our next destination.