iolanda andrade: Calouste Gulbenkian Museum - The permanent collection (cont.) - Asian Art, Religious Art, French furniture, Painting

I continued my visit along the various exhibit rooms having spent sometime in the Asian Art section, which displayed quite a number of very interesting artifacts.

Silk, velvet and gilded silver threads ceremonial coat (detail) dating back to the Ottoman period - Bukhara, Central Asia - 19th century (left). 17th century velvet cushion- Turkey (Istambul).

Silk hanging (detail) - Japan(19th century).

I then moved into a section exhibiting Religious Art in its various forms. I was particularly impressed with a few ivory diptychs, whose carving was outstandingly meticulous, as well as some Books of Hours with amazingly beautiful handpaintings.

Ivory diptych with the coronation of the Virgen, the washing of the feet, the Crucifixion and the Ascension - Flanders, ca. 1370.

Book of honours of René II, Duke of Loraine - 1471-1479

Diptych with scenes from the Crucifixion, flagellation and entombment - Paris - 1290-1310

Book of Hours or the Holford Hours. Flanders, Bruges or Ghent - 1526

I then walked through a galery with paintings and amazingly beautiful tapestries until I reached a rather impressive temporary French furniture exhibition with artefacts pertaining to the permanent collection which are not always on display.

Peacock and cock fighting - Paul de Vos - Flanders - ca. 1630 (left). Peacock and hunting trophies (detail) - Jan Weenix - Holland - 1708 (right).

Tapestry from the set "Children playing" (The ball game) - Italy, Mantua -1540

Tapestry from the set "Children playing" (The dance).

Tapestry from the set "Children playin" (Fishing).

Limestone sculpture depicting riding Saint Martin sharing his cloak with a beggar - Loire Valley - 1531.

Mid 16th century tapestry from the set "History of Vertumnus and Pomona" - Flanders.

There were quite a few invaluable furniture pieces in display, though to be honest it is not necessarily something that normally draws my attention. Truth be said though, I ended up photographing many of the ones that I found to beworth looking at closely (... and there were many, in fact).

The Astronomer - 1777 oil on canvas by Nicholas- Bernard Lépicié.

From there I proceeded towards one of the painting galleries, where many of the paintings in display, some of which I had already seen in temporary exhibitions, caught my attention.