Location: Largo do Palacio, Queluz Map
Constructed: 18th century
Tel. 214 343 860
Open: 9:30am- 5pm Wed- Mon
Closed: 1 Jan, Easter, 1 May, 29 Jun, 25 Dec
The Queluz National Palace, also known as Queluz Palace and Queluz
Royal Palace, is an 18th century palace located in Queluz, in the
municipality of Sintra, in the district of Lisbon.
One of the
last great Rococo-style buildings to be designed in Europe, the palace
was conceived as a summer retreat for D. Pedro de Bragança, who would
later become the husband and then king consort of his own niece, the
Queen. Maria I. It served as a discreet place of imprisonment for Queen
D. Maria, as her descent into madness continued in the years following
D. Pedro's death in 1786. After the Ajuda Palace was destroyed by fire
in 1794, the Palace de Queluz became the official residence of Prince
Regent João VI and his family, remaining so until the royal family
traveled to the colony of Brazil in 1807 after the French invasion of
Portugal.
Work on the palace began in 1747 under the command of
Portuguese architect Mateus Vicente de Oliveira. Despite being much
smaller, the palace is often referred to as the Portuguese Versailles.
The Queluz National Palace has been classified as a National
Monument since 1910.
Queluz's architecture is representative of the last extravagant
period of Portuguese culture that followed the discovery of Brazilian
gold in 1690. From the beginning of the 18th century many foreign
artists and architects were employed in Portugal to satisfy the needs of
the newly enriched aristocracy; they brought with them classical
architectural ideas that derived from the Renaissance. With its design,
Queluz is a revolt against the earlier, heavier, Italian-influenced
Baroque that preceded the Rococo style across Europe.
Comparisons
with Versailles are unwarranted: Versailles is referred to as having "an
aura of majesty" and was built and dedicated to display in stone "all
the glories of France," while the much smaller palace at Queluz has been
described as "exquisite rather than magnificent." " and looking like "a
very expensive birthday cake". In its frivolity, Queluz's architecture
reflects the lifestyle led by the Portuguese royal family at the time of
construction: during the reign of Dom Pedro's brother José I, when
Portugal was in practice ruled by a valid or favorite, the Marquis of
dovecote Pombal encouraged the royal family to get away from their days
in the country and leave affairs of state to him. Thus, Queluz's
whimsical, almost capricious architecture, set apart from the capital,
accurately represents Portugal's politics and social events during this
era, and the carefree, extravagant lives led by its occupants.
On
the accession to the throne of Dom Pedro's wife Maria in 1777, Pombal
was dismissed, and Dom Pedro and D Maria ruled jointly in his place,
using the partially completed Rococo palace at Queluz as a retreat from
state affairs in the same way. that Frederick the Great used Europe's
other famous Rococo palace, Sanssouci.
The location chosen for
this summer retreat was in a secluded place. It was originally owned by
the Marquis of Castelo Rodrigo. When the Spaniards were expelled from
Portugal in 1640, the Marquis was accused of having collaborated with
the Spaniards and the property was seized by the Portuguese Crown. The
property and its hunting cabin then became one of the many properties of
the Portuguese king, João IV. He reserved it as one of the properties
reserved for the second son of the reigning monarch.
The
architect Mateus Vicente de Oliveira, had trained under the command of
Ludovice de Ratisbon and Jean-Baptiste Robillon during the construction
of the royal palace and convent of Mafra. Mafra's darker and more
massive classical palace doesn't seem to have influenced Queluz's
design, which is in a lighter, more airy style. Work began in 1747 and
continued rapidly until 1755, when it was interrupted by the great
Lisbon earthquake of 1755, after which workers were most urgently needed
to rebuild the city. The earthquake proved to be a catalyst as the urban
reconstruction process spurred the development of the arts in Portugal.
Queluz's subsequent architecture was influenced by new ideas and
concepts. When work resumed in 1758, the design was adapted for fear of
another earthquake. Thus, later works take the form of low, long
buildings, more structurally stable than a single tall block: as a
result, seen from afar, the palace resembles long rows connected by
taller pavilions, rather than a single building. .
The public facade of the palace directly faces a town square and
takes the form of two low, symmetrical quadrant wings that flank the
wings of a small central body of logis, thus forming a semicircular cour
d'honneur. The south of the quadrant's two wings is enclosed by the
onion dam chapel, while the north wing contained the kitchens and
servants' quarters.
Oliveira was directly responsible for the
"Ceremonial Facade" of the "corpus de logis", the rectangular block that
forms the core of the palace, and some of the interior courtyards. His
former tutor, the Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Robillon, was responsible for
the gardens, many buildings and the Rococo interiors. He, in turn, was
assisted by Jean-Baptiste Pillement and other French and Portuguese
artists. The "Ceremonial Facade" is the most famous view of the palace.
With classical proportions, it is decorated externally by travertine
rendering and delicately carved in trolleys over the windows. It has
been described as a "harmonious example of Portuguese Baroque".
In 1760, Pombal arranged for Dom Pedro to marry King Maria's unstable
daughter, the heir to the throne. Pombal encouraged the couple to live
with their children in the unfinished palace in Queluz, far from the
government headquarters. It has always been a favorite retreat for the
couple and was their main home before Maria's accession. Further
enlargements were made to reflect the elevation of the palace from the
country retreat to the Royal Palace. However, Maria had sacked Pombal on
her accession and, as a ruling monarch, she had no time to be away from
her hours in the country. Dom Pedro interfered little in state affairs,
preferring to spend his time on religious matters.
With the death
of Dom Pedro, in 1786, all the internal work was completed. This was
fortunate, as from this period onwards his widow's mental health
deteriorated, until in 1794 she and her court took up full-time official
residence in Queluz. There, the now completely insane queen could be
hidden from the sight of her subjects. Her eldest son, later King João
VI, was appointed Regent and ruled over Lisbon and the grand palace at
Mafra.
The interior of the palace received no less attention to detail and
design than the exterior. French artisans were employed to decorate the
rooms, many of which are small, with the walls and ceilings painted to
depict allegorical and historical scenes. Polished red bricks were often
used for the floors, for a rustic look as well as coolness in hot
weather. The many tall pavilions that link the various lower wings of
the palace allow for a series of long low rooms broken up by higher,
lighter rooms. A predominant feature of the interiors is the tiles:
polychromatic glazed tiles, often in a chinoiserie style with shades of
blue and yellow contrasting with muted reds. Materials for use in the
interior included stone imported from Genoa and woods from Brazil,
Denmark and Sweden, while colored marbles were imported from Italy.
The Music Room
The Music Room (pictured below) that follows the
"Ambassadors' Room" is decorated with gilded and painted wood and was
redesigned in 1768. The inset ceiling with painted carts is notable for
the intricate rib scheme of its design, similar to that of the
vestibule. in Caserta. The Music Room is decorated in a more
neoclassical style than the other rooms in the State, reflecting its
redesign in the period following the Rococo Baroque in the late half of
the 18th century. This room was the setting for the grand concerts for
which the palace was famous. The living room still contains the Empire
grand piano decorated with golden appliqués.
Ballroom
The
Ballroom, the last of the three largest rooms in the palace, (pictured
below) was designed by Robillon in 1760. To create this oval room, the
architect combined five smaller rooms. Rococo ormolu ornament takes the
form of heavy gilt for the walls and ceiling, of such richness that it
has been compared to François de Cuvilliés' amalienburg at Nymphenburg
Palace. The walls and doors are mirrored and the painted and gilded,
boxed ceiling is supported by gilded caryatids.
Ambassadors' Room
The Hall of Ambassadors ("Ambassadors' Room"), sometimes called the
throne room or Hall of Mirrors, was designed by Robillon in 1757 and is
one of the largest reception rooms in the palace. This long low room has
a ceiling painted by Francisco de Melo that depicts the Portuguese royal
family taking part in a concert during the reign of Queen Maria I. The
room is extremely wide and light, spanning the entire width of the
palace, with tall windows. On both sides. Between each window is a
semi-circular golden console table above which are pier glasses adorned
with crystal sconces. The dais throne, situated in an apse, is flanked
by gilded, mirrored columns, and the floor is a checker plate pattern of
black and white marble tiles.
Chapel
During the occupation of
the palace by Dom Pedro and D Maria I, the chapel was central to the
daily life of their court. It was not by chance that the chapel was the
first part of the palace to be completed and was consecrated as early as
1752. Religion was one of Dom Pedro's favorite interests. During his
wife's reign he attended to spiritual matters and she to temporal
matters. The queen's interest in religion, however, was no less feverish
than her husband's—the couple attended mass several times a day. After
Dom Pedro's death, the queen abandoned all festivities in the palace,
and state receptions took on the air of religious ceremonies. Eventually
the queen's instability and religious mania degenerated into complete
insanity.
The chapel beneath its large onion dome is dark and
cavernous and decorated with carved gilded wood, the detailing
highlighted in red, green, blue and pink, by Portuguese sculptor
Silvestre Faria Lobo. The upper level has galleries for the use of real
characters who would sit in addition to the congregation. One of these
galleries contains a small rococo pipe organ. A feature of the chapel is
the ornate portable fountain, its marble basin resting in an elaborate
rococo frame surmounted by a carved wooden cover.
Snack Room
This was the royal family's private dining room. The decor continues the
theme used in some of the more formal and public rooms, with tile panels
depicting courtiers in wild poses. These panels, like many other works
in the palace, were produced by João Valentim and José Conrado Rosa.
Queen's boudoir
This was one of the private rooms used by Maria I
during her time in Queluz. It is designed in the shape of a bower, with
a lattice pattern on the ceiling that is reflected in the marquetry
floor design (pictured below), giving the impression of being in a
pergola rather than inside. The marquetry floors of the private rooms
distinguish these smaller, more intimate rooms from the larger state
rooms, where such delicate features would have been marred by more
frequent use. The walls of the boudoir are heavily mirrored and contain
overdoor cartouches and a mirror by José Conrado Rosa. Adjacent to the
boudoir is the queen's bedroom; it was from this light and airy room
that the queen's deranged screams were reported by William Beckford, who
visited the palace in 1794.
King's Room
The King's Bedroom
(pictured below) has been described as one of the most "fantastic" rooms
in the palace. Although really square, it gives the illusion of being
completely circular, with a mmed ceiling supported by columns of
mirrored glass. Between the columns are cartouches depicting scenes from
the tales of Don Quixote. Pedro IV died in this room in 1834, the same
room where he was born in 1798. The room contains a large bust of the
king showing his "pendulous jowls and unattractive face".
Queluz is famous for the glory of its gardens, which include a large
part of topiaries arranged in the manner of Le Nôtre at the back of the
palace. Flemish influences, including canals, in the garden are the work
of Dutch gardener Gerald van der Kolk, who helped Robillon from the
1760s onwards. Formal terraces and walkways are given extra interest by
statuary and fountains. The dominant feature of the main parterre is the
"Pórtico dos Cavalinhos", a garden temple flanked by two allegorical
equestrian statues representing Fames, and two sphinxes (see final
illustration) dressed surreally in 18th century attire, combining the
formal and the fantastic. This surreal theme continues elsewhere in the
gardens where motifs such as the rape of the Sabines and the death of
Abel alternate with statuary of donkeys dressed in human clothing.
Deeper in the gardens is a grotto complete with a waterfall. Later, to
be a popular feature in Portuguese gardens, the Queluz waterfall was the
first artificial waterfall to be built near Lisbon.
An avenue of
enormous magnolias forms the approach to the classic Robillon wing of
the palace, while from the wing a double staircase leads to the canal.
Over 100 meters long, the canal walls are decorated with tile panels
depicting seascapes and associated scenes. This is the largest in a
series of canals in the gardens bordered with chinoiserie-style tiles.
Fed by a stream, the sluice gates to the canals are only open in May.
During the 18th century, the canals were the setting for fêtes
champêtres during which fully equipped ships would sail in processions
with figures on board in allegorical costumes.
The gardens also
contain a fountain with newts and dolphins that has been attributed to
Bernini. There are other fountains and statuary in the lower gardens,
including an important collection of statues by the British sculptor
John Cheere (1709–1787). These gardens are situated within tall hedges
of mistletoes, cypresses, magnolias and mulberry trees planted by
Marshal Junot during the French occupation in the Napoleonic Wars.
After a fire at Palácio da Ajuda in 1794, Prince Regent João VI and
his wife Carlota Joaquina began to use the Palace of Queluz. The
Robillon wing was expanded and given an upper floor for the use of the
princess and her nine children. These additions were destroyed in the
fire of 1934. To escape the forces of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1807, the
Portuguese royal family abandoned Queluz and fled to Brazil. The French
occupying forces took control of the palace and its commander, General
Junot, made several changes to the building. On the royal family's
return from exile in 1821, the king preferred to live in Mafra, leaving
his wife, the Spanish queen Carlota Joaquina, to occupy Queluz with his
aunt Princess Maria Francisca Benedita. The king visited Queluz
infrequently. It was on one of these rare visits that João VI died in
1826.
Carlota Joaquina, sometimes described as sinister, is
considered ambitious and violent. Her features were supposedly ugly, and
she was of short stature. Whatever her shortcomings, she lived in style
in Queluz, employing an orchestra that William Beckford described as the
finest in Europe. The queen also had a small private theater in the
gardens, of which nothing remains to this day. She died in the palace in
1830.
After the death of Carlota Joaquina, Queluz saw only
intermittent use as a royal residence and was not again the primary
residence of Portuguese royalty. Carlota Joaquina's son, King Miguel,
used the palace during the three-year civil war, which he fought against
his brother, King Pedro IV.
National Monument
Since 1940 it
has been open to the public as a museum. It houses much of the former
royal collection, including furniture, Arraiolos rugs, paintings, and
Chinese and European ceramics and porcelain.
State guest house
In 1957, the Rainha Maria I Pavilion was renovated to serve as the
official guest house of the Portuguese government, for visits by heads
of state and government. The visit of Queen Elizabeth II in 1957 was one
of the main motivating factors in renovating the pavilion into a state
guest house.[