The works selected for this exhibition move freely between photography, drawing, and painting. Although they belong to different mediums and languages, they find their point of union precisely in the mastery with which they manipulate light and color. A dialogue is thus established—at times explicit, at times implicit—between color, art, nature, and jewelry. In this creative ecosystem, everything is interconnected and everything serves as a stimulus. After all, jewelers have always found their greatest heritage and inspiration in artistic movements and the ephemeral forms of nature.
The three works by artist Adelaide de Freitas ("A Deusa da Arte", "A Rainha da Sardinha", and "O Segredo das Pirâmides") are the perfect personification of what Arnheim studies as the Egyptian method and orientation. In Adelaide de Freitas's painting, Form and Color summon a territory where myth, imagination, and the exploration of parallel realities merge. More than mere aesthetic creations, the artist materializes pictorial characters of a surrealist nature that seem to inhabit other dimensions and worlds parallel to our own. These figures, shaped through the bold use of strong, saturated colors—such as blue, red, orange, and green—challenge the egocentric view that humanity is the sole expression of life in the cosmos. They are representations that invite the viewer to reflect on the immensity of the universe and the existence of beings with forms that transcend human imagination: divinities and creatures made of Light that inhabit the Eternal. This vibrant palette generates a chromatic harmony that grants the compositions an inseparable sense of warmth and solidity, crowning heraldic figures that hold high symbolic power, evoking the dreamlike and biomorphic universe of masters like Joan Miró, Max Ernst, or Jean Arp. In the context of this exhibition, the sovereignty of these characters made of Light and energy dialogues in a fascinating way with the dynastic jewelry of the Royal Treasure Museum. If courtly insignias and crowns used gold and precious stones to materialize the absolute and earthly power of men, Adelaide de Freitas uses Light and pure color to crown her own interdimensional beings. The blue and green of her palette harken back to the nobility of enamels and emeralds, while the relentless red and orange ignite the visual energy of phenomenal gems. This approach aligns with the electric glow of spectrolite and the phenomenon of labradorescence, where bold flashes of rainbows and the magnetism of color function as authentic revelations of other worlds, transforming the canvas into a portal to the infinite.
The work of Ana Gonçalves establishes one of the most fascinating chromatic and structural bridges of the exhibition, operating precisely on the frontier where Form and Color cease to be static and become dictated by Light. Her composition presents a fluid transition that moves between the dense blue tones of enamel—found in the historic grandeur of the Plaque of the Military Order of Our Lady of the Conception of Vila Viçosa—and the deep, magnetic green of emeralds, visible in the Medal of the Three Military Orders. Within the axis of Color, this passage from blue to green is not accidental; it mimics the gemological phenomenon of pleochroism or labradorescence, where matter seems to contain multiple chromatic souls that reveal themselves according to the movement of the observer. The blue of the enamel represents the color fused upon the surface, the vitreous and controlled reflection of light on a plane. In contrast, the emulated green transports us to the behavior of light inside an emerald: a color that is not superficial, but rather born from the depths of the gem, filtered by its natural inclusions (the famous jardin of the emerald) which fragment the light and give the stone its living texture.
The painting "The mighty Pele” by Barahona Possollo functions as a powerful visual portal to the deep and superficial geodynamics of the Earth, illustrating the driving force that connects the Earth's mantle to the crust and allowing for a rigorous scientific parallel with the genesis of the materials that make up the high jewelry of the Royal Treasure Museum. Although the ordinary volcanic activity suggested on the canvas does not generate diamonds directly, it evokes the explosive and ultra-deep volcanism that occurs more than 150 kilometers deep, where chemically distinct magmas, such as kimberlites and lamproites, served as "express elevators" to drag these stable carbon gems and their xenoliths to the surface at supersonic speeds, preventing their transformation into graphite. This specific magmatic phenomenon occurred mostly in the planet's remote past, about 2.5 billion years ago, concentrating in the oldest and most stable portions of the continental plates—the cratons—from which ancient erosion eventually dismantled the original volcanic pipes and dispersed the diamonds into secondary alluvial deposits in riverbeds, beaches, and on the seabed. On the other hand, while the deep cycle of diamonds lies dormant, the dynamics of tectonic plates remain actively alive and continue to generate new colored gems at this very instant as this text is read; collisions of continental masses create moderate crustal pressures and temperatures that metamorphose pre-existing rocks into rubies, safiras, and emeralds, while late residual fluids slowly cool in fractures to sculpt crystals of tourmalines, topazes, and amethyst quartz. This same hydrothermal and tectonic dynamism governs the genesis of gold, the noble metal that serves as the support for jewelry, given that groundwater superheated by nearby magma dissolves gold particles in the deep crust and precipitates them alongside quartz into veins and lodes which, after the inevitable action of erosion and fluvial transport, accumulate in riverbeds in the form of dense nuggets shaped by the current.
Through her photography, Cristina Albaker succeeds in presenting a mystical interplay of chiaroscuro in a creation that mimics the delicacy, form, and volume of a high jewelry pendant. The structure closely resembles a diamond in its rough state, just as it is removed from the kimberlite matrix rock, displaying textured surfaces and cleaved points. Simultaneously, its elongated silhouette recalls the sophistication of a briolette-cut diamond. This piece of ice establishes a dialogue with one of the pieces richest in memory within the museum's collection: the Pearl Brooch, a historic piece presented by King Victor Emmanuel II to his daughter, Maria Pia, upon her marriage to King Luís in 1862. Just as the royal brooch combines the opulence of diamonds with the softness of dangling pearls, the artist's contemporary interpretation captures the essence of that magnetism, uniting historical heritage with the ephemerality of current creation through the pure geometry of light.
Dulce Carvalho
Daniel Schär exhibits three works featuring different dominant colors on his canvas: yellow, green, and red. In the red-toned work, titled “Litany”—which according to the artist was inspired by the composer Arvo Pärt—we are enveloped by an intense mass of red. This chromatic richness establishes a direct parallel with the great Rubies in the collection of the Royal Treasure Museum, where the intensity of the historic red and its internal marks bore witness to authenticity and unshakeable dynastic power. The red diamond, although not present in the museum's collection, represents the pinnacle of fancy colors. It is the rarest color of all and, the more saturated and strong the hue, the more valuable and scarce the mineral becomes, even though the green diamond is also extremely rare. In this symbiosis between color, music, and gemology, we find an inseparable link between quality and beauty. The finest example of this extreme rarity is the “Winston Red” diamond (weighing 2.33 carats), about which Wuyi Wang, Vice President of Research and Development at the GIA, stated: ”For a natural diamond to obtain a fancy red color classification is extremely rare. First, it needs to have a perfect color within that range, and then, the saturation must also be perfect. If it is too dark, it turns to black; if it is too light, it turns to pink.” Yet the complexity of this work by Schär does not end here. In the center of the composition, a yellowish blemish can be detected—visible only through a stereoscopic microscope—an "imperfection" within the red mass that resembles a gemological inclusion. Although the clarity of a diamond is an important commercial factor, certain inclusions enhance the value of a gem through their unique beauty or geological significance, as it is through these signatures of nature that experts differentiate a natural gem from a synthetic one. In the case of a red diamond, an internal yellow zone generally indicates the presence of chemical elements such as nitrogen. The emerald-green-toned work, “Underwater”, displays lines and tears that resemble the internal fractures of an emerald. Emeralds are notoriously fragile gems: although they feature a hardness of 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale, their structural tensions and widespread natural fractures grant them poor toughness. This makes them prone to chipping, cracking, or breaking under pressure—whether during daily wear or at the delicate moment of being set into a piece of jewelry. The Museum houses some of the most impressive emeralds in European jewelry (such as those featured in the insignias and plaques of military orders). However, this dense green can also resemble that of a green diamond, a highly rare fancy color gem. Unlike the emerald, the green diamond owes its color to an extreme process: prolonged exposure to natural radiation emanated by neighboring rocks deep within the Earth, which alters its crystal structure and modifies the way the gem absorbs light. The Dresden Green is the most famous historical example in the world of this geological phenomenon. In the work where vibrant yellow collides with green and dark masses, “What becomes clear”, the ambiguity of color challenges the viewer once more. This chromatic field resembles the peridot gem, an idiochromatic stone; this means that its intense olive-green color is due to its own elemental chemical composition—specifically the massive presence of iron—rather than external impurities. In Ancient Egypt, peridot was dubbed the "gem of the sun" due to its brilliance and vibrant yellowish-green color, and it was one of Cleopatra's favorite stones (whose collection was often mistaken for emeralds). One of the most incredible examples of the use of peridot in sacred art can be found in the gold-covered reliquary of the Shrine of the Three Kings, located in Cologne Cathedral, Germany.
The conceptual dialogue of this exhibition materializes exemplarily in the artistic photography of Isabel Soares dos Reis. In this macro-vision of the outside world, we see the mirror of gemological microphotography. Through its geometric lines and planes of light, her work can be visually interpreted as the phenomenon of internal graining—the lines of tension and growth engraved into the deep atomic structure of a diamond. On the other hand, by capturing the luminous and fluid trail of a bird in motion against a branched background, it simulates a feather (the feather-like internal fractures that dwell within minerals) as the dynamic effect of photoluminescence, where matter seems to glow in the dark upon reacting to light. It is thus concluded that whether in the geological depths of a gem or on the surface of a canvas or photographic film, Light, Form, and Color operate under the same universal principles, indivisibly uniting the precision of science and the sensitivity of art.
Jessica Dunn
Mac Gulbenkian presents a photograph featuring a peacock, whose blue contrasts with the pink/red of the wall. The peacock is a symbol of royalty, particularly in India, where jewelry featuring this motif was worn by maharajas as a symbol of supreme status. The deep blue of the peacock resembles the intense blue of sapphires and opals. Peacocks possess feathers with geometric nanostructures that reflect and split light, creating the phenomenon known as iridescence. This is the same phenomenon that occurs in mother-of-pearl, and it can be observed in the Museum through the Royal Fans and the Snuffboxes.
Marjorie Salvagni exhibits three works from the ‘Transmutations Series’, which are highly representative of what inspires jewelry: the perfect symbiosis between art and the natural world. This symbiosis finds an echo in Lancelot Law Whyte's Structural Morphology, which argues that all living structures share a coordinated system of symmetry and transformation. From this perspective, organic matter is always in a process of transition (mutation) to achieve balance, transforming the work into a visible record of a dynamic process of growth, mutation, and internal coordination that governs both biology and the cosmos. A prime example of this dialogue between jewelry and the natural world is Cartier—one of the most prestigious high jewelry houses in the world and creator of pieces for various European courts—which adopted the panther (depicted on the canvas flanked by lush tropical flora) as its iconic symbol, immortalizing the strength and sinuous movements of nature in metal and precious stones. It was regarding the splendor of this house that King Edward VII of the United Kingdom coined the famous maxim: "Cartier, the jeweler of kings and the king of jewelers.” In a composition of rich and varied colors, Salvagni's work harmonizes the fragility of organic elements, such as pearls (born of life itself), and the strength of inorganic elements, materialized in the diamond floating at the top of the canvas. The gem is represented in its classic and universal brilliant-cut profile, where the crown, girdle, and geometric facets of the pavilion tapering toward the base are clearly distinguishable. This faceted structure introduces a crystalline and symmetrical rigidity that contrasts with the organic fluidity of the surrounding vegetation. In pearls, this chromatic richness manifests through the phenomena of Hue and Oriente (Overtone & Orient): the former revealing the subtle secondary hues floating over the gem's body color; the latter, its deep, iridescent luster that seems to emanate from within. This material and chromatic duality connects directly to the Plaque of the Three Military Orders, one of the greatest masterpieces in the museum's collection, where the dialogue between the "fire" of diamonds and the brilliance of colored gems dictates the absolute rhythm of light.
The work of Maria João Vale focuses on the study of light across two primary colors: red and blue, which operate here as chromatic opposites (the warm and the cold). This palette refers directly to the magnetism of rubies—visible in the shoulder/hat clasp piece—and to the translucent depth of sapphires, which we find in the Chatelaine with case (medallion and pair of pendants). In this work, “Piscina” (Swimming Pool), we can find a visual metaphor for the optical phenomena described in gemology. In this case, although the object depicted is distinct from a precious stone, the way it interacts with light illustrates with scientific precision the concepts of Brightness, Scintillation, and Refraction. The undulating reflections of the water in “Piscina” function exactly like the brightness and scintillation of a faceted sapphire. When light enters a gem through its facets, it undergoes refraction and total internal reflection. What we see in the water is a macroscopic projection of this phenomenon: light being bent, concentrated, and dispersed, creating lines of pure energy that give "life" to dark matter. The upper half of this photograph's composition, under more uniform and diffuse lighting, clearly reveals the stable geometric structure and the pattern of the tile grid. However, the true dynamism happens when light passes through the water, undergoing an immediate change in its speed and direction due to the undulating surface. This process of Refraction is entirely analogous to the way light travels through a gem, being altered by its refractive index (RI). In the image, the tile grid at the bottom functions as the "pavilion" of a diamond, where light is gathered, reflected, and distorted. It is within this fluid distortion that gemological elements come to life. The areas where light is returned clearly and intensely represent Brightness—the effect resulting from the internal and external reflection of white light. Simultaneously, the movement of the water generates a dramatic contrast between the intense blue zones and the bright white lines that move and oscillate. This visual interplay exemplifies Scintillation, namely, the flashes of light and contrasting dark areas observed in a diamond when the gem, the light, or the observer itself moves. The electric and saturated blue tone that dominates the image further evokes the limit of visible light, establishing a bridge to the famous Portuguese Diamond and the concept that the electromagnetic spectrum includes invisible wavelengths, such as the ultraviolet radiation responsible for the strong blue fluorescence of gems. Moreover, in this lower half, the turbulence of the water acts as living facets that break down light into flashes. This phenomenon directly evokes the concept of Fire or Dispersion, which is the separation of white light into the colors of the rainbow when passing through a dense medium. In gemology, this effect is amplified in materials with very high Refractive Indexes and dispersion. This is the case with synthetic Cubic Zirconia (CZ), a common diamond simulant with an RI close to 2.150, or synthetic Moissanite, which, being even more refractive than diamond itself (RI of around 2.670), exhibits an overwhelming "fire". The diamonds that make up the Museum's collection also exhibit dispersion, though with slightly different characteristics from modern gems due to the way they were cut. Unlike modern diamonds (Brilliant cut), the diamonds of the Portuguese Crown on display in the Museum feature antique cuts, such as the rose cut or antique brilliant cuts (old mine cut and old European cut).
In the journey of this exhibition, the work of Martin Stranka emerges as a powerful anchoring point for the human factor—the final receptacle where the physics of light transforms into emotion through the retina. By presenting a black-and-white photograph focused on the eyes, the artist reclaims our own ability to witness and interpret the world, connecting the science of vision to the depth of the soul. These eyes, which belong to a dense and intimate series that the photographer dedicated to the theme of loss, float in a space framed by the absolute void of a black background. Here, the gaze manifests as a complex symbol where affirmation, mourning, and denial coexist. Under Stranka's lens, the ultimate duality of physics and art operates: black as the absolute absence of color and white as the mystical totality of light. In high jewelry, black comes to life through natural black diamonds. Interestingly, these rare gems owe their opaque color to countless microscopic inclusions that absorb and retain illumination, preventing the passage of natural light—a physical behavior diametrically opposed to that of the rough Diamond resting in the permanent collection of the Royal Treasure Museum, whose brilliance is born precisely from its transparency and refraction. The contrast also extends to our own cultural and social history. Although modernity frequently associates black with simplicity, mourning, or the minimalism of urban fashion, this color once carried the weight of ultimate opulence. Between the 1500s and 1700s, black pigment was one of the most expensive and difficult to obtain, becoming the greatest symbol of wealth, authority, and sophistication within the European royalty—the same royalty that once flaunted the Crown jewels that surround us today. In Stranka's work, black ceases to be just a background and becomes, just as in the black diamond, the densest presence of the exhibition: the place where light retreats to make room for memory.
Mónica de Morais creates a work that pulses in perfect harmony between light, form, and color. In her first creation, 'Passagem' (Passage), shadow emerges as the main element, projected by the light that falls upon an apparent 'cross' or 'T' generated by the contrast between light and dark. Here we find the four fundamental elements of this exhibition: shadow, light, form, and color. The cross is the meeting point, the border, and the transition between the horizontal and vertical planes, between light and dark—a letter format heavily used in jewelry since medieval times. Meanwhile, in the work '9', which represents a cube falling apart in dark, grayish tones and black lines, the artist references the cubic (or isometric) crystal system. This is the internal structure of highly symmetrical and valuable gems, here evoking a diamond in deconstruction, disappearing. Knowing that within the structure of a diamond, each carbon atom is covalently bonded to four other carbon atoms arranged at the vertices of a regular tetrahedron, the artist subverts this scientific rigidity with the number '9'. The artist thus utilizes the Form of Distortion or Deformation described by Arnheim, subverting the geometric rigidity of the diamond's atomic structure with the mysticism of the number that titles it.
Rita Andrade presents a figurative approach focused on the eyes and the color purple. The eyes symbolize here the very vehicle of human vision, the absolute receptor without which it would be impossible for the retina to capture the interplay of light and color that governs this exhibition. In parallel, the purple tone grants the work an aura of exclusivity associated with royalty and the clergy, in a direct allusion to amethyst. This gem, which we admire today in major historical collections—such as the archive of the Royal Treasure Museum—held for centuries a status of immense preeminence in courtly jewelry and ecclesiastical insignia. By placing the gaze in confrontation with purple, the artist invites the visitor to reclaim the historical memory of luxury and devotion, transforming the act of seeing into an experience of almost sacred contemplation. Before the discovery of the large mines in Brazil in the 18th century, amethyst was as rare and valuable as ruby or sapphire. Purple was the color of power, obtained through extremely expensive processes in antiquity (such as Tyrian purple). Because amethysts were scarce (the main sources being Siberia and Egypt), only royalty and the high clergy could afford them—hence their traditional use in Bishops' rings and Crown Jewels. Amethyst possesses pleochroism, the ability to show different colors when viewed from different angles. In the book “Art and Visual Perception”, Rudolf Arnheim analyzes the human face, anatomy, and specifically the frontal representations of Christ's face by Albrecht Dürer (Christ’s Face) in detail. Arnheim explains that the frontal and isolated gaze creates a direct vector force with the viewer: the eyes cease to be merely biological anatomy and become the pure center of the message, acting as a perceptual magnet that demands an immediate psychological response.
In the work of RVieira, the green of nature merges with the mineral nobility of the emerald. By capturing a landscape where light falls directly upon the vegetation, the artist transfigures the space, unfolding it into infinite greenish hues. This connection evokes, in an almost mystical way, the very 'jardin' (garden) of emeralds—the technical name given to the gem's internal inclusions that mimic botanical life—proving that light, upon touching matter, has the power to transform landscape into jewelry. The green color in plants comes from chlorophyll, which absorbs sunlight to generate life. In emeralds, green is born from the absorption of light by traces of chromium and vanadium. The artist, by painting light falling on vegetation, is replicating the exact optical miracle that the Earth performs to color the gem. Already in the 1st century, the philosopher Pliny the Elder (the same from the myth of painting) wrote in Book XXXVII (the 37th volume, which is entirely dedicated to precious stones and gemology): "No color is more delightful to the eye. For, while we gaze upon other gems and herbs, we tire, but the emerald, when we look upon it, refreshes our vision and does not fatigue with its contemplation; and gem engravers, when working on them, have no better means of resting their sight than by fixing their gaze upon this stone.” - Pliny the Elder.
In the case of the work “O Galo” (The Rooster), we are dealing with animal biology rather than plant biology. The rooster assumes an incontestable beauty in Portuguese culture, standing out for the complexity of its plumage and crest. The plumage of the rooster, much like that of the peacock, exhibits a fascinating structural iridescence. When light falls upon the feathers, it creates a dynamic visual effect that, while evocative of the physical phenomenon of pleochroism or the play of colors typical of gems, results from a process of diffraction and interference of light within the feather's microstructure. Depending on the viewing angle (symmetry of observation), certain light waves are cancelled out while others are reinforced, making the rooster appear to shift in hue—from metallic blue to emerald green or copper. The rooster's plumage is a perfect example of geometric biomorphism. If we magnify the surface of one of its feathers, we observe a grid of elements aligned as rigorously as atoms in a crystal structure. It is this repetitive organization that "breaks" white light and returns pure, saturated colors to us, functioning in a manner analogous to a faceted gem, whose geometry is precisely calculated to maximize its "fire" or light dispersion.
The work of Teymur Rustamov moves fluidly between violet and red, generating a chromatic gradient that echoes a fascinating phenomenon of the mineral kingdom: color zoning. This transition, frequently observed in sapphires and bi-color tourmalines, reflects the variations of matter on the canvas itself, as if the painting were imitating the organic growth of a crystal. In nature, chemical growth fronts merge subtly, creating an imperceptible passage where violet slowly dissolves until it transforms into red. Tourmaline, considered an authentic mineralogical chameleon, perfectly illustrates this mutation: its tonal transition (frequently associated with the indigolite and rubellite varieties) occurs due to fluctuations in the concentrations of manganese and iron within the deep hydrothermal solution. This tonal passage precisely reflects the vision of Lancelot Law Whyte, for whom the absence of a rigid geometry does not signify a lack of logic, but rather a dynamic and fluid pattern that was "frozen" in time, much like the deep chemical growth of a bi-color tourmaline born from the dialectic between the parts and the whole.
To deepen this intersection between Light, Form, and Color, we have invited a panel of experts from various fields to share their vision. In this brochure, you will also find educational and scientific material designed to enrich your experience. We hope you enjoy this unique journey between the contemporary exhibition and the permanent collection of the museum. Have a wonderful visit!
The Curator: Francisco Lacerda
