A new Baltazar Gomes Figueira at MNAA

In 2021, the Gaudium Magnum Foundation – Maria and João Cortez de Lobão proudly supported the acquisition, through the Grupo de Amigos do Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (GAMNAA) and in close collaboration with the Museum’s direction, of Still Life with Birds, Fish and a Dish with Flowers and Fruit by Baltazar Gomes Figueira (1604–1674). This marked the first work by the artist to enter the MNAA’s collection, filling a notable gap in the museum’s permanent display.

The decision to acquire this painting was guided by some key considerations: it is the first work by Figueira to be held by the museum, highlighting his pioneering role in introducing still life painting to Portugal; the quality of the work exemplifies the artist’s mastery; and the mobilization of civil society in support of the museum strengthens the MNAA’s ties with its community. 

Born in Óbidos, Baltazar Gomes Figueira trained in Seville, likely in the workshop of Francisco Herrera, el Viejo, before returning to Portugal in 1634. Over the course of his career, he became a leading figure of the 17th-century Portuguese Baroque, producing altarpieces, landscapes, and still lifes. Though his daughter, Josefa de Óbidos, later eclipsed him in fame, contemporary scholarship has reasserted his role as a pioneer of the genre and a central figure in Portuguese art.

The acquired painting, dated circa 1650 exemplifies the symmetrical composition, Seville-influenced lighting, and meticulous detail characteristic of Figueira’s still lifes. Elements such as the hanging ducks, the dish of fish, and the floral arrangement echo models seen in other works by the artist and occasionally in his daughter’s oeuvre.