Porcelain on Display
Behind the scenes of the reception and packaging of the Albuquerque Collection
Behind the scenes of the reception and storage of Renato de Albuquerque’s collection at the Albuquerque Foundation reserves
How do you install and preserve a collection of more than 2400 art pieces?
Composed mainly of Chinese porcelain, the Albuquerque Collection also includes objects made from materials as diverse as ivory, exotic woods, tortoiseshell, lacquer, silver, enamel, and paint, originating from India, China, Japan, Sri Lanka, and other parts of Asia.
This question will be explored in a special session led by Maria Lino Bello, an art historian specialising in Asian Studies and a museum curator. She closely followed the process of installing the Renato de Albuquerque Collection. The session will reveal the technical and scientific work behind the reception, verification, and installation of the pieces in reserves designed specifically for their conservation and safety.
The criteria for museum organisation and the preventive conservation strategies adopted will also be discussed, in a project that stands out as an example of good practice in collection management, promoting the knowledge and preservation of a truly unique collection.
General Information
Schedule: 22.11, 15:00–17:30
Language: Portuguese
Age: 16+ (kids under 14 must be accompanied by an adult)
Capacity: 20 participants
18€ (talk + museum entrance)
About Maria Lino Bello
Maria Lino Bello holds a master’s degree in Asian Studies and Art History, with training in Decorative Arts and a specialisation in Art and Furniture Appraisal. She began her career in 1998 as a curator at the Ricardo do Espírito Santo Silva Foundation’s Museum of Portuguese Decorative Arts, later joining Lisbon City Council in 2005 as an advisor to the Municipal Directorate of Culture and as a senior technician at the City Museum (now the Lisbon Museum).
Since 2007, she has been a senior technician at the São Roque Museum of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa, working in the areas of research, inventory, preventive conservation, and exhibition curation. Between 2017 and 2022, she also oversaw the creation of the Casa-Ásia Museum: Francisco Capelo Collection (SCML).
She collaborated with the Albuquerque Foundation on the planning and installation of the entire collection in the technical reserves, as well as in supporting the permanent exhibition. In November 2025, she will join the team at the Medeiros e Almeida Museum as a conservator. She has also taught and lectured on decorative arts and their intercultural connections.
