Joana de Vasconcelos' ground floor exhibition at Palacio da Ajuda, Lisboa (still) - The 14th of July 2013

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On the walls of the Green Room, which used to be Queen Maria Pia's study and painting  studio one could see the lace covered "Formentera" (2011) and "Joaquina" (2012) lizards not too far from the great canvas by Joseph Layraud portraying the Royal family in the gardens of Queluz Palace (dating from 1876).  

The visit continued as we walked into the Red Room, once used as dressing room, prayer room and study. "Apollo" (2013) and "Milord" (2009) placed among several other artistic pieces against the damask silk walls stood out because of their rather impressive expressions and the fact that their cream colour lace coverings contrasted with the red background.

 

If "Tropicalia"'s colours immediately caught one's attention so did the bowl and water jug in Neo-Rococo silver said to have been made by the French goldsmith Ferry in the second half of the nineteenth century standing in one corner of this amazingly beautiful dressing room.

The Napoleon III style, so much in vogue at the time,  seemed to be the strong aspect of the Queen's bedroom ensemble. "Maria Pia" (2013) dressed up in blue lace looked rather comfortable in the bluish atmosphere of the room.

On the way to the dining room of the Palace we came across "Casanova" (2012) in a rather secluded glass display window, though his attracting feline look still managed to attract the visitors.

In one of the entrance halls a Morris Oxford VI decorated with toy riffles externally and plush and plastic toys in its interior "War games" (2011) stood next to the Royal carriage. The only thing they both seemed to have in common was the colour.

Joyfully alive "Le Dauphin" and "La Dauphine" (2013) could be seen climbing onto one of the tables of the richly decorated Neo - Renaissance styled dining-room of the Palace.

The last ground floor room we visited was barely illuminated, as if to create a rather warm, cosy and welcoming atmosphere, to which the leather seats and the dark furniture added a  mysterious touch. 

We could not help looking at one of the walls of this Billiards' room underneath the candle-shaped pendant lamps where two artistic animal figures "Zeus" (2012) and "Jupiter" (2013) seemed to look us in the eye.

I was particularly impressed by the meticulous choice of Joana de Vasconcelos' artistic pieces and the selection of what  seemed to clearly be the most adequate places for them to be in, despite not yet having seen the ones being exhibited in the upper and so called noble floor.