ABOUT THE LITTER:
18th Century (1716)
Triumphal vehicle.
Italian work, made in Rome.
Inv. nº 11
Dim: 720x255x337 cm
It comprised part of the group of five thematic coaches and ten accompanying coaches that were in the procession of the Embassy sent to the Pope in 1716 by King João V as the high point of the ostentation of Royal Power from someone that dominated a vast empire.
It has an open body in the so-called Roman style that is covered with red silk velvet with appliqués embroidered with golden thread, while the interior is lined with gold brocade.
The rear sculptural group has a magnificent gilt carved woodwork, probably projected by Portuguese artists or by a foreign artist who had lived in Portugal, and it represents an episode in Portuguese maritime history, the connection of the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean, discovered by Portuguese navigators in 15th Century and glorified by Apollo.
On each side of him are figures of Spring and Summer, while at his feet are two Old Men who, in a gesture of great beauty, shake hands, symbolizing the connection by sea between the two worlds at the Cape of Good Hope.
From 1995 to 1999 the coach was significantly restored. The project, using techniques of the period, was carried out on the woods (sculptures, wheels and small central bench), on the gilding, on the textiles (velvet, embroidery, silk, curtains, pillows), on the leather and on the metal.
The book by the Italian Luca Chracas from 1716, which minutely described the event, the vehicles and their equipment, helped in making the restoration faithful.
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ABOUT THE NATIONAL COACH MUSEUM:
"The National Coach Museum (Portuguese: Museu Nacional dos Coches) is located in the Belém district of Lisbon, in Portugal. The museum has one of the finest collections of historical carriages in the world, being one of the most visited museums of the city.
The museum is housed in the old Horse Riding Arena of the Belém Palace, formerly a Royal Palace which is now the official residence of the President of Portugal. The Horse Riding Area was built after 1787 following the Neoclassical design of Italian architect Giacomo Azzolini. Several Portuguese artists decorated the interior of the building with paintings and tile (azulejo) panels. The inner arena is 50 m long and 17 m wide, and was used for training horses and for horse riding exhibitions and games, which could be watched from its balconies by the Portuguese royal family.
The museum was created in 1905 by Queen Amélia to house an extensive collection of carriages belonging to the Portuguese royal family and nobility. The collection gives a full picture of the development of carriages from the late 16th through the 19th centuries, with carriages made in Italy, Portugal, France, Spain, Austria and England.
Among its rarest items is a late 16th/early 17th-century traveling coach used by King Philip II of Portugal to come from Spain to Portugal in 1619. There are also several pompous Baroque 18th century carriages decorated with paintings and exuberant gilt woodwork, the most impressive of these being a ceremonial coach given by Pope Clement XI to King John V in 1715, and the two coaches of the Portuguese embassador to Pope Clement XI, built in Rome in 1716.
A section of the museum is located in the Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa, in Southern Portugal."
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