Amália loved shoes, and it is probably the only collection where we dare to call her a true collector. 219 pairs of shoes complete this collection where we can find the stage shoes, but especially the ones for formal events. Sergio Rossi, Prada, Versace, Yves Saint Laurent, and Salvatore Ferragamo are some of the couture brands that we could find. However, the most interesting elements of this collection are the 17 pairs of stage shoes in which we see the intention of Amália in disguising her 1m58 of height. These shoes, made expressly for our Founder in Portugal, had between 15 to 17 cm.

From the beginning of her career, Amália was worried about the way she presented herself on stage, either when it came to a great world stage or to a fado house in Lisbon. This aesthetic care permitted her to gather an extraordinary collection of jewellery that completes, today, the collection of the Amália Rodrigues Foundation. In what concerns the jewellery, the brand image of Amália is the long and brilliant earrings that were visible from the back row of a spectacle room. Amália’s jewellery is mostly Portuguese work, except for some of them, like a necklace Cartier in white gold, diamonds, rubies, and emeralds, of French origin. Bracelets, rings, necklaces, and earrings, made in gold, filigree, diamonds, and amethyst, that go back to the 17^th, 18^th, 19^th, and 20^th centuries, are some of the objects we can find on the House Museum.

Photographs' author: Paulo Andrade

A life dedicated to music and culture turned Amália into a heteronym of Portugal. Performing all over the world allowed Amália to be admired by different kinds of public and countries, being considered one of the great singers of the 20^th century. For that reason, today, Amália is the most decorated Portuguese woman in history. Portugal, Spain, and France decorated her with the highest honorific orders, with Israel, Lebanon, Belgium, Brazil, Macau, and Japan following. We would like to highlight the Honour Legion of France (1991), the Great Cross of the Order of Isabel, the Catholic, in Spain (1990), the Great Cross of the Order of Infante D. Henrique in Portugal (1998), and the membership of the National Order of the Cedars of Lebanon attributed in 1971. Brazil decorated Amália posthumously with the Order of Cruzeiro do Sul (2001) and the Portuguese community in the United States of America and Canada assigned her, still in life, several honours for the service rendered to the Portuguese culture: for instance, the “Amália Rodrigues Day” in Toronto, in 1985, and the congratulation of the state of Rhode Island in 1970.

To Amália, what really mattered was the objects’ beauty and not its school or technique. By observing the decoration on the house, we realize the duality of Amália’s personality and taste. The porcelain of the Companhia das Índias combines perfectly with the religious figures and the Italian alabaster works of the 17^th century. It is worth mentioning the original bust of Amália, by the sculptor Joaquim Valente, two red ducks of Murano, and the Last Supper in stone (made by Chica, an artisan, and friend of Amália). A 17^th-century infant Jesus sits in the decoration of the house hall, along with a 19^th-century gilded bronze clock and two bronze fruit-bearing feet (an 18^th-century French work). In a house where we can find a sculpture by José Franco, we can also find a tapestry with an 18^th-century hunting scene or a wooden piece painted with 19^th-century orthodox motifs. Being the home of Amália, a Portuguese fado guitar with grenades, turquoise, and new mines of the 17^th century, a Portuguese fado guitar, and a mandolin with inlays, both 19^th century, and a half-tail Petrov piano could not be missing. The house, decorated according to the sensitivity of Amália, is a building prior to the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, covered with blue tiles of the 17^th and 18^th centuries.

The sophistication and classic refinement of this house are also reflected in Amália’s furniture. We can highlight a Portuguese canapé in carved walnut and straw of the 3^rd quarter of the 18^th century, a Portuguese ark of the 17^th century, and three walnut chairs carved, partially gilded, of the time of D. José (18^th century). Two half-dressers in rosewood, made in Portugal in the 18^th century, an Italian trumeau in gilded carving of the 18^th century, a painted bed D. Maria of the 18^th century, and a polychrome Portuguese oratory of the 17^th century are just some examples of what we can find in the House Museum.

ALL THE PICTURES ON THIS PAGE (EXCEPT FOR THE JEWELLERY ONES) WERE TAKEN BY LUÍS SILVA CAMPOS