Pimenta Palace

House of Quinta da Pimenta; House of Madre Paula; Galvão Mexia Palace; Museu da Cidade (Museum of Lisbon)

Campo Grande, Lisbon, Portugal

18th century

Secular/civil architecture, palace

Unknown architects

Attributed to King João V

The history of the Pimenta Palace is not well known but it is nonetheless an interesting example of 18th-century suburban civil architecture. Legend attributes its construction to King João V who, supposedly, commissioned the palace to accommodate Mother Paula, a nun from the Odivelas Monastery, who was also his mistress. The palace would be the venue for the King's love affairs. It was also the residence of the Galvão-Mexia family. In 1956 it was purchased by the Lisbon municipality. Between 1979 and 1984 the Museum of Lisbon was set up and opened there.

A rectangular main building with a running façade, two floors and an attic.
The building has windows at ground level with discreet Baroque framing. A great gateway at the centre of the edifice is for ceremonial entrances and is wide enough for a carriage. The gateway is crowned with a semicircular pediment with an erudite plan influenced by Mafra Baroque. On the east side, as part of the Museum of Lisbon's exhibition, there is an “ensemble d'époque” or installation which recreates the atmosphere of an 18th-century suburban palace.
The museum runs throughout the whole building. It includes a rich archaeological collection, sculpture, faience, prints, paintings and drawings. The collection testifies to the history of Lisbon with an important collection of drawings of the Águas Livres Aqueduct and documents relating to the reconstruction of the city after the earthquake of 1755.

Historical evidence and stylistic analysis

Ensemble d’époque: Kitchen

Ground floor, Pimenta Palace

c.1750

Unknown artist

Re-creation of an 18th-century kitchen set up in what was the original palace kitchen. Lined with azulejos (tile panels) of random figures alluding to culinary themes (for example, a bad cook and hanging game), it is equipped with a wide-mouthed chimney, stone tables and contemporary kitchen utensils.

Staircase

Interior of the palace, Pimenta Palace

c.1750

Unknown artist

A staircase of great scale and ostentation it is fixed in the nucleus of the palace.

Ensemble d’époque: Bedroom

Ground floor, Pimenta Palace

c.1750

Unknown artist

Installed in the east wing facing the Buxo Garden is a re-creation of an 18th-century bedroom. It is worth mentioning in particular the azulejos that line the walls depicting rural themes, romantic scenes and chinoiseries most of which date to 1746.

Ensemble d’époque: Dining-Room

Ground floor, Pimenta Palace

c.1750

Unknown artist

Like the bedroom, the re-creation of an 18th-century dining-room is located in the east wing of the palace. Again worthy of mention are the azulejos that line the walls depicting rural themes, romantic scenes and chinoiseries most of which date to 1746.

Model of Lisbon before the earthquake of 1755

Ground floor, Pimenta Palace

1950s

Gustavo Matos Cerqueira, Vieira da Silva and others

A large-scale model of Lisbon’s city centre before the earthquake of 1755.

Moita, I., (director), O Livro de Lisboa, Lisbon, 1994.
Serrão, V., “O Barroco”, História da Arte em Portugal, Lisbon, 2003.

Paulo Pereira "Pimenta Palace" in Discover Baroque Art. Place: Museum With No Frontiers, 2013. http://www.discoverbaroqueart.org/database_item.php?id=monument;BAR;pt;Mon11;26;en