The two “ceiling panels”, donated by the Group of Friends of the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (GAMNAA), are the most recent addition to the Museum’s collections and are already on temporarily display in the Hall of 9 de Abril (Level 1/Hall of 9 de Abril/Main entrance), before heading to the conservation department for an intervention. The two panels depict a heron and a griffin, animals widely used in the symbolic representation in the end of the Middle Ages. Dating from the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century, the two panels, of unknown origin, were elements of a ceiling structure similar to others that are still preserved throughout the Iberian peninsula. Since there are no parallels in the Museum's collections, the two panels document an example of the late-medieval profane decoration, filling a gap in the Museum's collections.

MNAA deeply appreciates GAMNAA for this generous donation.