National Tile Museum opens Sala dos Arcos and shows ‘Triumph of David’

Dtied to the last decades of the 17th century, probably created by Cornelis Van der Kloet, ‘The Triumph of David’ “is an imposing work, almost nine meters long by 1.70 meters high, consisting of three scenes : the ‘Slaying of Goliath by David’, the central scene with the ‘Triumph of David’ proper and ‘David slaying the lion and the bear'”, according to a statement from the museum.

The panel was purchased by the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage (DGPC), at the end of last year, for 120,000 euros, after the owner informed the Museu Nacional do Azulejo that he intended to sell the piece and that he considered it important that it remain in Portuguese territory, as it was a Portuguese order made to the Netherlands, which was once on display at the National Museum of Ancient Art.

The Sala dos Arcos is now rehabilitated and with a new museographic project, “dedicated to Baroque and Rococo tiles from the second half of the 18th century”, designed by architects Mariano Piçarra and Luís Afonso Carvalho.

The rehabilitation of the space was carried out with the support of the Millennium BCP Foundation, in the amount of 47 thousand euros, according to a statement from the DGPC.

“In the narrative of the permanent exhibition of the Museu Nacional do Azulejo, the Sala dos Arcos becomes the privileged space for the presentation of the tiles of the Great Joanina Production (1725-1750), so designated because it partially coincides with the reign of João V (1706 -1750), which reflects the opulence and ostentation”, can be read in the communiqué of the Lisbon museum.

According to the same text, “among the works from this period, presented for the first time, it is possible to highlight a ‘Batalha de Alexandre’, a sumptuous cut panel with a great scenographic effect, or an unusual wall clock in tiles, restored to its original function by the pointer replacement”.

The Museu Nacional do Azulejo also stressed that the simultaneous presentation of a work acquired by the State and a room recovered with the support of patrons means that “in this space and moment, the best that can happen in the context of financing and patrimonial patronage is combined : the judicious acquisition of pieces that decisively enrich the national collections (…); and the generous support and incentive that private entities foster in the consolidation of a richer, more diversified and plural cultural offer”.