The pieces exhibited in this room document the influence that Ming porcelain from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries had on the development of Portuguese faience (1559-1687), and, in general, the role that Lisbon played in receiving goods from the Orient, when the city became an important centre for the trade in luxury items.

Based on the porcelain collection from the Palácio de Santos, the pres¬ent-day French Embassy in Portugal, this exhibition also presents a selec¬tion of works that include oriental lacquers and silks, sophisticated and exotic articles that, in turn, helped to promote, in European art circles, the most varied artistic expressions in keeping with the oriental taste.