Publications

Luís Mousinho de Albuquerque and the Restoration of Batalha Monastery in the 19th century.

This edition brings to light the Unpublished Memoir of Luís da Silva Mousinho de Albuquerque, the military engineer who oversaw the restoration of the Monastery of Batalha between 1840 and 1843 — the first major monument restoration project in Portugal. Written in the first person, the memoir offers rare insight into the criteria, motivations, and philosophical considerations that guided the intervention. It stands as a foundational text in the history of Portuguese heritage conservation, anticipating European debates on restoration practices. Originally published posthumously in 1854, it is reintroduced here as a vital document of national memory.

The Gaudium Magnum Foundation is proud to have supported the publication of this bilingual edition, helping to bring this important work to an international audience and furthering the mission to promote Portuguese cultural heritage worldwide.

Mulheres Mecenas e as Artes

The Gaudium Magnum Foundation sponsored the publication of Mulheres Mecenas e as Artes (Women Patrons and the Arts), edited by Maria João Neto and Santiago Macias — a landmark volume that sheds light on the vital role women have played in shaping artistic taste, collecting, and cultural patronage from Antiquity to the present.

The book, published in 2022, pays tribute to Infanta D. Maria, Duchess of Viseu — a model of the cultured Renaissance princess and an emblematic patron of the arts — while contributing to the broader field of Women’s History, which has only recently gained rightful visibility in academic and cultural discourse.

MNAA Educational leaflets

Education lies at the heart of the Gaudium Magnum Foundation’s mission. As part of our collaboration with the National Museum of Ancient Art in Lisbon, we proudly support a series of didactic leaflets designed to engage younger audiences and families.

Developed in connection with artworks on loan from the Foundation, these leaflets introduce children to iconic European masterpieces, guide families through interactive museum trails, and explore artistic techniques within their historical context.

Offered free of charge at the museum, each leaflet invites visitors on an educational and sensory journey — using visual clues to connect art, history, and play.

Camões: a poet read, a poet reader – Exhibition booklet

As part of the celebrations marking the 500th anniversary of the birth of Luís Vaz de Camões, the Gaudium Magnum Foundation partnered with the Hispanic Society Museum & Library (New York) to develop a special program dedicated to the poet’s legacy. A highlight of this initiative was the rare book exhibition Camões: a poet read, a poet reader, curated by Dr. Isabel Almeida and Dr. John O’Neill, which brought together exceptional works from the HSML collections.

To accompany the exhibition, the Foundation supported the publication of a booklet authored by Dr. Isabel Almeida. Rather than serving merely as a guide, the text reflects on Camões as both reader and writer: an author deeply shaped by Virgil, Petrarch, Ariosto, Dante, and the humanist and scientific culture of his time, and whose own Lusíadas—translated and reinterpreted over centuries—extended his influence across the Iberian world and beyond.

The Global City: On The Streets Of Renaissance Lisbon

The Foundation provided financial support to the book The Global City: On the Streets of Renaissance Lisbon, edited by Annemarie Jordan Gschwend and K.J.P. Lowe, which offers a vivid portrait of Lisbon as a thriving global capital in the 16th century. Taking two remarkable paintings of the Rua Nova — the city’s main commercial street — as its starting point, the book explores Lisbon’s role as a crossroads of cultures and commerce across four continents. Drawing on newly discovered documents and previously unpublished objects, it reveals the complexity, diversity, and reach of one of Europe’s most important early modern cities.