Portuguese Baroque Treasures Take Center Stage at National Gallery

“The Age of the Baroque in Portugal,” an opulent display of 18th-Century Portuguese treasures, is on exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., through Feb. 6. The centerpiece of the 120-piece show is the “First Noble Coach of the Embassy of the Marques de Fontes to the Papal Court (1713-16).” “That amazing golden coach, ripe with plumes and gilded statues and gold-embroidered velvet, was meant to make one gasp,” says one reviewer. “It resembles Cinderella’s, except it’s as big as a moving van . . . Made for an ambassador, who hoped to wow the Pope, it must have struck observers as a chariot for a god.”

“The Age of the Baroque in Portugal” concentrates on art from the reigns of Dom Joao V (who ruled from 1705 to 1750) and Dom Jose I (1750-1777). Early in the 18th Century, discoveries of gold and gems in Brazil, then under Portuguese rule, ushered in a period of great prosperity that lasted through the century. The resources enabled Portugal to commission and produce works of art by the finest European masters, especially in the field of decorative arts.

One section, called “Private Life,” surveys art created for noble households. There are also sections devoted to Portuguese painted tiles, religious art, scientific instruments and some of the crown jewels.

The National Gallery, 4th Street and Constitution N.W., is open daily except Christmas and New Year’s Day. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. For more information, call (202) 737-4215.