Acquired in 2019 by Fundação Oriente from Ambassador José de Bouza Serrano, this collection of Chinese export porcelain consists of 170 pieces from the 17th to the 19th centuries (from the Ming dynasty to the Qing dynasty). Gathered over nearly 30 years of diplomatic career by Ambassador Bouza Serrano, in its scope the various colouring techniques are represented: blue and white, enamels of the famille verte, famille noi" and famille rose, Chinese and Japanese Imari, monochrome, blanc de chine, "grisaille" and sepia. The decoration is wide ranging and includes floral motifs, scenes inspired by European engravings relating to maritime themes, heraldic coats of arms and monograms, landscapes, scenes of family life, mythological scenes, fables by La Fontaine or Aesop, Meissen style and also Chinese themes. The blues and whites and the famille rose pieces feature most prominently in this collection.

Of particular interest are two pieces made for the Persian market, whose thick porcelain differs from the rest, fine and delicate. Known to experts thanks to the publication of Louças da China, ao gosto occidental (2000), a painstakingly detailed record of the approximately 170 pieces it comprised at the time, the Former Bouza Serrano Collection has never been showcased to the public.

As of July 14, 2023, 124 of the most significant pieces from the Former Bouza Serrano Collection will become part of the permanent exhibition Portuguese Presence in Asia. It is an important addition to Museu do Oriente, whose collection of Chinese export porcelain is currently one of the most important in the country. Totalling 498 pieces, it stands out both for the temporal arc covered and for the diversity of formal, technical and decorative typologies. From the blue and white Kraak porcelain of the 16th century, to commemorative pieces alluding to the Implantation of the Republic in Portugal, in the early 20th century, Museu do Oriente’s collection includes two specimens of early commissions for the Iberian market, armorial tableware, among which terrines, vases, flowerpots and other display pieces, elegant tea and coffee sets or rarities such as a basin decorated with the coat of arms of the Costa family, inspired in a metal model.

Porcelain holds a wealth of critical information for telling the story of the relations between East and West, on many fronts: economy, geopolitics, art, culture, religion. In this perspective, the consolidation of its porcelain collection has been a strategic investment by Fundação Oriente over the years. The initial core collection of 110 pieces with which Museu do Oriente opened in 2008 has grown, the result of a sustained policy of acquisitions from antique dealers, auctions, and private collectors, in Portugal and abroad. Among the most significant is, in 2018, the acquisition of the Former Cunha Alves Collection, 209 pieces from the 17th to 19th centuries, decorated with genre, mythological and religious scenes, inspired in European models. The incorporation of the Former Bouza Serrano Collection, which is now shown to the public for the first time, places Museu do Oriente as a reference in the panorama of decorative arts in general, and porcelain in particular. Through its numerous forms, uses and provenances, porcelain tells us multiple stories about the transatlantic trade networks, social changes in Europe, the discourses of court power and privilege and the dialogue between artists and craftsmen from both hemispheres.

On display from 14 July, this is the first of a series of new themed sections to be disclosed until the end of the year, and which constitute a reconfiguration of the museological and museographic discourse of the Portuguese Presence in Asia permanent exhibition.