Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga
Being there
Portugal's impressive national art collection, including 14-19th century European painting, artefacts of Portuguese contact with the East and Africa and a collection of ecclesiastical treasures. Highlights include Dürer's St Jerome, Hieronymus Bosch's Temptations of St Antony, Nuno Gonçalves' Adoration of St Vincent, and 16th century Japanese paintings of Portuguese traders.
The story
The Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (Portuguese pronunciation: [muˈzew nɐsiuˈnal dɨ ˈaɾtɐ̃ˈtiɣɐ]; MNAA), also known in English as the National Museum of Ancient Art, is a Portuguese national art museum located in Lisbon. With over 40,000 items spanning a vast collection of painting, sculpture, goldware, furniture, textiles, ceramics, and prints, MNAA is one of the most visited museums in Portugal. The official English translation of "Antiga" as "Ancient" is a misleading difference of idiom; the museum's collection only includes pieces from the Middle Ages and later. It has been closed for renovation since 29 September 2025, with no re-opening date announced as of September 2026.
The MNAA was founded in 1884 to display the collections of the Portuguese royal family and the National Academy of Fine Arts. It is housed in the Palácio Alvor-Pombal, a former residence of the 1st Marquis of Pombal which was expanded when it was converted into a museum. The museum's collection spans more than a millennium of art from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas and includes notable artworks by Hieronymus Bosch, Raphael, Hans Holbein the Elder, Francisco de Zurbarán, Albrecht Dürer, Domingos Sequeira, and Giambattista Tiepolo, among numerous others.