The Ancient Art National Museum may currently be found housed in the Palácio de Alvor-Pombal and has more than 100 years of existence. This building, dated from the 17th century, is known by this name for having been erected by D. Francisco de Távora, first Conde de Alvor and later by belonging to a brother of the Marquês de Pombal.
In the Portuguese State rented the palace with the purpose of housing the Museu Nacional das Bellas Artes e Archeologia, something that came to happen on the , when it opened.
The collection of the Ancient Art Museum is the major art collection in Portugal and counts with nearly 40.000 pieces. Among the museum's precious assets, is found the biggest collection of national painting where are included the Painéis de São Vicente de Fora, authorship of Nuno Gonçalves and dated from the 15th century (around ).
It is still possible to find in this fabulous art collection, works about European painting, illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, jewelry, furniture, ceramics, art of the expansion (from the colonies which Portugal possessed around the world), textile, glass, drawing and engraving.
Housed, since 1884, in a 17th century palace, the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, or Museu das Janelas Verdes, as it is commonly known, has the genesis of its collections in the 1834 liberal revolution. In that year, due to the abolition of the religious orders, it incorporated in its treasury thousands of art objects which had belonged to monasteries. Gathering items dating from the Middle Ages till the early 19th century, it possesses huge collections ranging from painting to jewellery, ceramics, sculpture and furniture.
