The collection consists of over 450 oil paintings and about 880 items including watercolors, drawings, pastels and sketch books. It is predominantly based on pieces inherited from the Royal collections, some of which were part of the holdings of King Luís Painting Gallery. Painters from Portugal and several European schools mainly from the 18th and 19th centuries are represented. The collection provides a wide variety of themes, among which the courtly painting nucleus deserves to be highlighted.