Thirty objects, some of which are at least 2,000 years old, have been lent by a Chinese museum to the Museu de Évora (Museu Nacional Frei Manuel do Cenáculo) in an unprecedented cultural agreement.
This is the first time the Museum of Guangzhou has lent anything to a Portuguese museum but authorisation was granted for a temporary export license for the priceless collection to leave China for Portugal, as long as it comes back again.
The ‘Canton and the Maritime Silk Road’ exhibition consists of 30 objects and runs until the year-end in one of the areas set aside for visiting exhibitions at Évora’s museum.
The director, António Miguel Alegria, explains that one of the security requirements stipulated by the Chinese was that the pieces should be displayed in a room that, in case of an incident, could be isolated.
"If something happens, the room can be closed without compromising the museum's operation," said Alegria.
The care taken by the Chinese has been fanatical with sealed boxes accompanied all the way from the Museum of Guangzhou.
The partnership between the Directorate of Culture of the Alentejo, the Museum de Évora, the Museum of Guangzhou and the Observatory of China – a body that seeks to disseminate Chinese culture in Portugal – is being hailed as a testament to cultural relations between East and West.
Rui d 'Ávila Lourido, president of the Observatory of China, said that some ceramics are 2,000 years old, "These are terracotta that came from the tombs of the emperors."
Equally old are the decorative beads with the most recent items being colorful dishes from the nineteenth century.
The most eye-catching is a cobalt-blue and white vase from the Wamli reign (1573-1620) of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), when Kraak porcelain started to reach the European market.
Another piece which stands out is a lacquered box illustrated with figures in a courtyard, dating from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
The porcelain market grew when the Portuguese opened up the sea route that allowed products to land in Europe at sensible prices.
"By land, as traders paid taxes in all the countries they travelled through and were likely to be robbed, prices were exorbitant," says Lourido.
The Évora exhibition is but a taste of things to come as a large exhibition of Chinese treasures is planned for 2018/2019 at the Palácio Nacional da Ajuda in Lisbon.
The exhibition is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 9.30 to 17.30
'Cantão e a Rota Marítima da Seda'
