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Discover the objects on display in the National Palace of Sintra

Gold Chamber

The third room in the palace of King João I and Queen Philippa of Lancaster.

This is where the sovereign could receive people of higher social status, a habit adopted by Queen Catarina of Austria (1507–1578). The king could also sleep here on the bed surrounded by his servants or a closer family member, who would sleep on the ground. This is how King Sebastião (1554–1578) used the room.

In the 15th and 16th centuries, it was covered in gold, but this decoration has been lost. In the 19th century, it was used as a dining room.

 

Discover the objects on display in this room.

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State Bed

  • Italy (?), 17th-18th century
  • Wood (chestnut and ebony), silvered brass, oil on copper, glass and fabric
  • Inv. No. PNS3058

This Italian-inspired bed was a central item of state when receiving important people. Made in the 17th–early-18th century, it has a headboard decorated with medallions displaying mythological scenes. At the top, in silver-plated brass, stands the coat of arms of the former owners, the Counts of Sabugal. It was installed here in the 20th century.

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Buffet table

  • Portugal, 17th-18th century
  • Rosewood and metal
  • Inv. No. PNS3094
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Candlesticks

  • Italy, Venice, 15th-16th century
  • Copper and iron
  • Inv. No. PNS6186/PNS6187
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Cabinet

  • Spain (?), 17th-18th century
  • wood, tortoiseshell, copper
  • Inv. No. PNS2933
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Wardrobe

  • Holland, 1624
  • Oak and metal
  • Inv. No. PNS3107
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Chest

  • Portugal, 18th century
  • Wood and iron
  • Inv. No. PNS3042
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Tiles with Armillary Sphere

These tiles are found exclusively in the National Palace of Sintra, in the Gold Chamber and Grotesque and Lion Patios. They feature the armillary sphere, the emblem of King Manuel I (1495–1521), and were commissioned by the king in 1508–1509 from the workshop of Fernand Martínes Guijarro and Pedro de Herrera, his son, ceramicists from Seville.

Power

The layout of the rooms in the Palace of Sintra reflected a social hierarchy headed by the king and queen. This section corresponds to the royal palace built in the reign of King João I (1357–1433) and Queen Philippa of Lancaster (1360–1415).

It begins in the Great Hall, which everyone who entered the palace could access. Access to the following rooms became more selective the further one progressed, culminating in the King’s or Queen’s Chamber. These could only be entered by certain members of the high nobility, clergy or important ambassadors.

None of these rooms had a specific function. Their use was defined by the social position of those who were allowed to enter, thus revealing how power was wielded on a day-to-day basis. The layout of the furniture changed to suit the desired enactment of power or to match the social status of the people present.