This is a small museum dedicated to the arts and antiques of East Asia, With an accent on the... read more
This is a small museum dedicated to the arts and antiques of East Asia, With an accent on the... read more
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to find their way to Asia by sea, and the collection shows... read more
While we are approaching Tower de Belem, we see Museu do Oriente on Avenida Brasilia. As such we enter to view the displays inside. Worth a visit if you have preliminary ideas on the history of Asian countries.
Totally worthed the visit.
Great material and perfect explanations about the works.
I recommend reserving 2 hours in order to see all.
I visited in mid April and the museum was virtually empty. This is a shame as it has some very interesting artefacts and there is a great story to tell about Portugal’s history in the East. The problem is that the panel texts are flat and dull and just give factual details of the piece. They don’t tell the fascinating and enlightening stories. We used the headphones for more information but this too was dull and uninteresting and we gave up on it.
If you come to Lisbon, you should visit this place. It is worth a visit! It has a large collection of pieces from China, Macau, Japan, Goa and former Portuguese India, East Timor, and so on.
We went on a weekday and had the place virtually to ourselves! Such a shame as they have a huge exhibition on of Chinese Opera. Lots of beautiful costumes and very well curated. It is vast and we borrowed a wheelchair.
The other floor has exhibits of the Portugese colonies. The English descriptions are in semi darkness though!
Be warned, if you are coming by public transport, the bus drops you in the middle of what looks like a dual carriageway surrounded by factories and the museum is not easy to find. It is over a road bridge with very steep steps.
The museum displays asian artifacts collected from mostly former Portugese colonies in the orient. Most interesting were the maps showing how much territory the Portugese held during the 15th - 18th centuries. Had an interesting collection of crucifixes, probably for export. Top floor had a collection of masks and costumes I assume used in Asian theatre productions.