A rare collection of 60 Chinese porcelain plates being on display at the National Museum of Ancient Art in Portuguese capital Lisbon is evidence of long history of commercial and cultural ties between Portugal and China since the early 16th century.
For the first time, the exquisite Chinese porcelain plates have been taken out of a total of 263 pieces from the ceiling and walls of the Porcelain Room of the former Santos Palace, a royal palace.
The Lencastre family, one of Lisbon's noble and leading families purchased the palace in 1629. They were later decorated between 1664 and 1687 by Jose Luis de Lencastre.
The former palace, now under restoration works, has been home to the French Embassy in Portugal since 1909, which collaborated with the National Museum of Ancient Art in Lisbon to hold the exhibition.
The plates are delicate, classical pallets of cobalt-blue and white, with elaborate flower designs, dreamy wild animal and landscapes, bringing the visitors back to the the Ming Dynasty of China (1368-1644) in the early 16th century.
The collection forms a representative sample of the Ming Dynasty and there are also a dozen pieces by the Qing dynasty (17th and 18th centuries).
The collection is also reminiscent of Portugal's commercial and cultural connection to the far away China when Portuguese navigators launched their oceanic journey around the globe at that time.
Portuguese traders became the first Europeans to bring back tons of crockery by sea, and Portugal has been the main source of oriental ceramics in Europe.
The Portuguese also borrowed techniques and inspiration from Chinese porcelain manufacture for making their own potters and these ceramic products became the first globally consumed European earthenware by Portuguese traders when they were exploring the world by sea since the last decades of the 16 century.
"They represent many stories which have to do with the relations between Portugal and Europe, and between Portugal and the east," Conceicao Borges de Sousa, curator at Portugal's National Museum of Ancient Art, told Xinhua.
"Portugal was the first Western country to get to China by sea and establish commercial and diplomatic ties. That was important in the 16th century because the Portuguese introduced the West to the great Chinese empire."
She added that there are only two such fabulous collections of such quality and quantity in the world, in Istanbul and in Tehran.
The exhibition, entitled Blue on Gold, started on February 27 and ends on May 24.
