The legacy of empire in Asian is palpable in Lisbon, from the images of Infant Jesus made in gold by Goan craftsmen, to the nambam lacquer screens depicting the exotic Portuguese merchants in Japan. Portugal exited Asia only in 1997 with the return of Macau to Chinese administration, but until now, Asian art in the Lusitanian capital reflected incompletely the extensive adventures of the Portuguese in Asia. After all, their merchants, mercenaries and missionaries traded, soldiered and preached in Nagasaki, Agra, Pagan, Ayudhya, Malacca, Banda and Kandy.
Now, after a decade of preparation, site restoration and good old-fashioned delays, the Santa Casa of Saint Roque has proceeded with the soft opening of a globally significant collection of arts from all parts of Asia, assembled by a Portuguese entrepreneur and art connoisseur, Francisco Capelo. The new museum, called Casa Asia, brings Portuguese and tourists face to face with the virtuosity and diversity of Asia’s artistic heritage.
Most museums house collections accumulated over centuries, reflecting the tastes of successive generations, or the results of wars and plunder. Casa Asia is quite different. Capelo used his own eye and instincts to assemble a collection that would be both beautiful and representative. He has taken on similar challenges in the past. Lisbon’s Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art reflects his choice of over 1,000 modern masters. The whimsical Marionette Museum and the Museum of Design also owe their existence to his passion for collecting. At the turn of the century Capelo began to travel extensively to Asia, establishing connections with dealers, and other collectors, and buying choice pieces for the future Casa Asia. One might have thought that the choicest pieces would already be public collections, or unavailable at any price. Yet Capelo managed to acquire a number of outstanding pieces, especially from Japan.
That country is represented from the Heian (12th century) through the Edo periods. The highlights include a Edo-era stage costume for the Nōh theatre which looks as if it has never been worn. A 15th-century Muromachi temple guardian stands resplendent in green, gold, sky blue and pinkish armor, flourishing his halberd. A six-paneled screen from 17th-century Edo displays the infinite incidents of the arrival of daimyo in the Shogun’s capital, with processions, wheeling-dealing, assignations, compromises and conflicts, all against a brilliant gold background. Viewing this masterpiece could occupy one’s whole visit to the museum.
Thailand, a country for which Capelo has a particular soft spot, is known for its elegant lacquer and bronze statues of Buddha, especially from the Lana and Sukhotai eras, which visitors can contemplate here, and compare to the neighboring Burmese and Cambodian approach to the spiritual world. A fun touch is added by the exquisite handicraft of everyday objects: boxes, cabinets, incense burners and teacups. A love of colour and intricate designs even appear on pottery made in China for the Thai market.
After the dazzling Japanese and Thai pieces, the Casa Asia presents other traditions in Asia in less spectacular registers. There is a fine assortment of Chinese pottery from a wide range of epochs, kilns and processes, terra cotta and porcelain, glazed, celadon, sancai. The creativity and perfectionism of the potters can be felt in these objects, many of them destined for every-day use.
The Indian collection highlights the genius of the subcontinent’s textile production. Not all of the items were destined for the luxury trade, but rather cotton with bright and attractive block print patterns, imitating fancier goods. These cotton exports helped make India a trade powerhouse in the 17th and 18th century.
he quality of the items are evidence of both the talent of the collector and the care in their restoration.
Unlike other collections in Lisbon, the Casa Asia doesn’t focus on former Portuguese colonies, but seeks present Asia art in its entirety, an impossible task. While beguiling Philippine artefacts testify to its vibrant pre-Spanish culture and its close affinity with neighboring Indonesia, missing are any striking bronze yamyabs or colorful tangkas in the section dedicated to Nepal and Tibet.
The quality of the items in the collection items are evidence of both the talent of the collector and the care in their restoration. This is a museum for art lovers and casual visitors both. The rooms are spacious and well laid out, in an imposing 17th century palace, a survivor of the earthquake of 1755. In place of the dark gloom that protects fragile objects from light in so many museums today, motion-detectors turn on as one walks through the galleries. The explanations are thorough without being academic.
Lisbon receives far more visitors for the amount of museum space it has, compared to Paris, London, Berlin, Rome or Madrid. A long-overdue addition to Lisbon’s cultural offerings, Casa Asia redresses the imbalance, while reconnecting Portugal to its storied Asian heritage.
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