Direção-Geral do Património Cultural

The hidden, under-appreciated treasures of Old Master drawings in Portuguese public and private collections were introduced to European audiences in 2000-2001 with the exhibition “European Master Drawings in Portuguese Collections”, organized by the Centro Cultural de Belém (CCB) Lisbon, and held at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge; the CCB; and Museu Nacional de Soares dos Reis, Oporto (with a reduced version on display at the Prado, Madrid, em 2002). Two decades have now passed, and it is time to acquaint a new generation with the vitality of the tradition of collecting Old Master drawings in Portugal, a practice that dates back to the early 16th century and one that is now more vibrant there than in many other European countries. (…) The selection features recents acquisitions made by the local Museu da Faculdade de Belas Artes da Universidade do Porto, including works by Carlo Maratti and Giovanni Battista Merano, as well as a third drawing by Polidoro da Caravaggio. There is no better testimony to the vitality of the collecting tradition and continued interest in Old Master drawings in Portugal.