Cortege of Neptune and Amphitrite

Usually considered as having come from the Convent of Odivelas, we now know that part of the azulejos that lined this space were applied there in the last quarter of the 19th century. So, we cannot possibly state with any certainty the provenance of these corteges, of which single elements from another two smaller panels with themes related to maritime divinities are also to be found in the National Azulejo Museum. Executed from engravings by Jean Lepautre (b.1618 - d.1682) and with a border that calls to mind the taste linked to tapestries, the panels appear more suited to the profane space of a palace or manor than to the religious seclusion of a convent. In the panel with the cortege of Neptune and Amphitrite, accompanied by Tritons and a Nereid, we see in the left border the figure of Pan embracing the nymph Syrinx, already metamorphosed into hollow water reeds. This image, which is truncated as the first row of azulejos is missing from the panel, is not present in the engraving by Lepautre that inspired the main theme of the set. Rather it is part of another by the same author, clearly demonstrating the taste for merging various sources that characterises the painters of Portuguese azulejos. Lisbon production.