Collections
Situado nos espaços da antiga cozinha conventual, o Museu da Academia das Ciências de Lisboa integra, desde 2015, uma Galeria de exposição permanente das suas mais relevantes coleções. Localizados no Museu, ou distribuídos pelos espaços da instituição, podemos referir os seguintes principais núcleos:
Scientific instruments and teaching materials
Legacy of the Philosophical Journey
Archaeology of the 1755 Earthquake
Decorative arts
Tiles
Painting
Sculpture
Scientific instruments and teaching materials
Um elevado número de objetos do Museu está associado ao ensino das ciências experimentais na instituição, onde, até ao início do século XX, foram lecionadas disciplinas como a Anatomia, Geografia, Geologia, História Natural, Física, Química e Zoologia. Foram sobretudo adquiridos no decorrer século XIX, merecendo destaque os seguintes exemplares:
Classic anatomical models
For the study of the human body and its various systems, the set of collapsible anatomical models, made of papier-mâché and commissioned from the French anatomist Louis Auzoux in 1853, were used in anatomy classes.
Scientific instruments
Hundreds of scientific instruments acquired in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries for the Academy’s Physics Cabinet, as well as important objects and materials for teaching chemistry (laboratory equipment and chemical reagents).
Zoological specimens
From a variety of sources, a considerable number of the museum's naturalised species have been used to support Natural History and Zoology classes. Originating mainly from the Royal Museum of Ajuda, they comprise a varied sample of taxidermised animals such as birds, fish, mammals, reptiles and amphibians.
Legacy of the Philosophical Journey
Material etnográfico e de história natural, recolhido pelo naturalista Alexandre Rodrigues Ferreira (1756-1815) durante a sua expedição científica à Bacia do Amazonas no Brasil, entre 1783 e 1792. Sob ordem da coroa, Alexandre Rodrigues Ferreira ficou responsável, durante nove anos, por descrever, recolher, acondicionar e remeter para Lisboa utensílios e materiais utilizados pelas populações locais, bem como amostras de espécimes minerais, botânicos e zoológicos. O Museu possuí no seu acervo centenas de exemplares desta expedição científica.
Archaeology of the 1755 Earthquake
In 2004, following restoration work, an archaeological excavation was carried out in the cloister of the former convent, which revealed important data for understanding its history and that of the city of Lisbon. Numerous archaeological and osteological remains of the victims of the 1755 earthquake were found in the south wing of the cloister. Deposited on the graves of the convent necropolis, hundreds of human remains were identified, scattered and mixed with animal remains, objects, fragments of buildings, charcoal and ashes.
Decorative arts
Among the testimonies to the Franciscan religious life in the former Convent of Our Lady of Jesus, we highlight ceramics that belonged to the convent's old apothecary, oratories or an amber rosary given by the king consort, Pedro III (1717-1786), to his confessor, Friar José Mayne.
Tiles
Covering the interior and exterior surfaces, the tiles of the former Convent of Our Lady of Jesus are structural elements in its architecture. The building's tile production - which includes panels from the first half of the 18th century to the present day - confirms the multiple solutions and techniques of one of the most relevant expressions of Portuguese artistic production.
Painting
The painting collection consists of several works, mainly portraits, of various techniques and chronologies. The convent collection stands out, with its depictions of notable figures from the Convent of Jesus such as Friar Mayne and Friar Manoel do Cenáculo Villas-Boas, as well as portraits of the Portuguese and English royal families.
Sculpture
The sculpture collection includes marble busts of Alexander the Great and Roman emperors, as well as founders of the Academy, such as the bust of D. João de Bragança, 2nd Duke of Lafões and 1st President of the Academy, signed by Joaquim Machado de Castro (1731-1822).
