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Missal Stand
Japan, Namban, Edo period, Early 17th century
Wood, black and gold lacquer, mother-of-pearl and gilded copper fittings
Over a century separates the official finding of Porto Santo, in 1418, from the arrival of the Portuguese in Japan, in 1543: a period that almost exactly corresponds to the beginning and the oriental limits of Portuguese discoveries. In this transoceanic exploration, the Portuguese navigators carried out what can be seen as a pioneering experiment in globalisation, which characterises contemporary society.
This Missal Stand (Kendai) is a proof of the Portuguese capacity for adaptation, exchange and sharing of ideas. In spite of the many problems that attended the consolidation of their empire and the constant attacks from other European powers, the Portuguese fomented an artistic production that revealed the best of both worlds, thanks to their fascination with the exotic.
The Portuguese, whom the Japanese called Namban-jin, or barbarians from the South, landed in the Japanese island of Tanegashima in 1543. In the previous year, they had established, in the Chinese coast, the first European trade emporium of the Far East. They were aware of the great advantages that could come from acting as mediators between the Chinese and the Japanese, who were rivals at the time.
The Stand consists of two articulated wooden planks, covered in black lacquer (urushi), and decorated in gold lacquer (maki-e), with inlays of mother-of-pearl (raden). The upper panel is decorated with large autumnal flowering chrysanthemums and other plants. On the back, wistarias (fuji) and bamboo stems (take) can be seen, as well as a duck pond. The formal structure of this missal stand is probably derived from Goan models in carved wood, but it is also similar to certain Islamic stands. The persecution of Christians under Tokugawa Iemitsu’s regime (1623-51) has made such Japanese missal stands extremely rare.
This stand is one of the three Namban pieces that can be seen by the public in the Madeira archipelago, together with a coffer, in the Funchal Sacred Art Museum, and a writing table, in the Quinta das Cruzes Museum.
Donated to the museum by:
ANAM - Aeroportos e Navgação Aérea
da Madeira, SA, e ANA - Aeroportos de Portugal, SA
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> Helm
Portugal, 16th century
Iron and brass
Iron and gilt brass Portuguese helmet, from the mid-16th century – a token of the importance of military power in conquering and keeping land.
Donated to the museum by:
ANAM - Aeroportos e Navgação Aérea
da Madeira, SA, e ANA - Aeroportos de Portugal,
SA |
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> Processional Cross
Portugal, 15th century
Gilded brass
Gilt bronze processional cross, late 15th – early 16th century. This piece suggests how useful the expansion of the Christian faith was an argument for further conquests.
Donated to the museum by:
ANAM - Aeroportos e Navgação Aérea
da Madeira, SA, e ANA - Aeroportos de Portugal,
SA |
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Portrait of Columbus
Italian-flemish school
17th century
Oil on canvas
Mid-17th-century Italian-Flemish painting, with several depictions of ships, like the Santa Maria, in which Columbus sailed from Palos in 1492, on a journey that eventually led him to discover America. |
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> Dutch Galleon
Japan, late 18th century
Painting on paper and cloth
Donated to the museum by:
ANAM - Aeroportos e Navgação Aérea
da Madeira, SA, e ANA - Aeroportos de Portugal,
SA |
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Tray
Mexico, Early 17th century
Chased silver relief
Mid-17th-century Mexican silver tray, done in accordance with the Iberian models for chased silver reliefs of the time. |
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Drinking Vessel
Chimu, Peru, 16th century
Black clay
Chimu drinking vessel, from a Peruvian region whose capital was Chan Chan. It is an instance of the increasing cultural and colonial domination exerted by the Spanish over the Andean populations throughout the 16th century. In its decoration, the figure of a Spanish conqueror takes pride of place, in a god-like attitude, worshipped by two small flanking figures.
Donated to the museum by:
ANAM - Aeroportos e Navgação Aérea
da Madeira, SA, e ANA - Aeroportos de Portugal,
SA |
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> Cannon
Marked VOC (Dutch East Indies Company)
Belonged to the Slot ter Hoodge galleon
Holland, 18th century
Cannon from the Dutch ship “Slot ter Hooge”. |
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> Silver Ingots
With dutch hallmarks
Slot ter Hooge spoils
18th century |
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