Quinta das Cruzes Museum
What is now one of the most interesting museums in the island was in the 15th century, the house of the first captain-donees of the island, has a chapel , lush gardens and a summer house, where the wealthy landlords spent leisurely afternoons , revelling in the magnificent view .
The fantastic residence, Quinta das Cruzes, gave way to a museum in 1953. From this collection, what stands out is a set of furniture and other objects of European art, particularly English, as a result of the strong presence of this community linked to the Madeira wine trade, as well as pieces of furniture “Chippendale” and a remarkable set of paintings, drawings, watercolour and prints of Madeira from the mid- 18th and especially 19th centuries.
What is also special is the collection of gold jewellery in this museum, especially the Portuguese salver on a pedestal foot, from the late 15th century, or the ‘Peace Gate’, from the early 16th century. The Museum also houses a collection of Portuguese and European jewellery mainly from the 18th and 19th centuries, and a Chinese porcelain set with specimens from the 16th to the 18th century and Portuguese stoneware from the mid-17th to the 19th century.
Regarding the sculpture, the focus is on a set of nativity figures made of clay, produced in Portugal in the 18th century, with emphasis on some likely to be produced locally at that time.
The museum has an archaeological and epigraphic collection of pieces that came from the demolitions, mainly from Funchal throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, which were incorporated in the property's garden.