The Mirror of Venus

One of the highlights of the holiday for me was the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon. Calouste Gulbenkian was born in Scutari in 1869 to an Armenian family and was a pioneer in the oil industry, in which he made his fortune. He moved to Lisbon in 1942, having become a very knowledgeable and discerning art collector. When he died in 1955 he left his vast collection to the public and in 1969 the museum named after him was opened.

It is large (around 6000 pieces) and sensibly arranged (chronological from ancient Egypt to 20th century), and contains some real gems, such as The Mirror of Venus by Burne-Jones. I'm a bit of a Burne-Jones and Pre-Raphaelite anorak so my excitement knew no bounds when I discovered this, one of B-J's most famous paintings, is in Lisbon.

It's a bit like The Metamorphosis of Narcissus by Dali, apart from being utterly different.

No postcards of this, but this was compensated by no limitations on photography.

Loads more Gulbenkian Museum stuff here