Museum House Frederico de Freitas is located in the center of Funchal, between the area of ??São Pedro and Santa Clara Convent. The Frederico de Freitas Museum House is characterized by its red color. Also known as Casa da Calçada, it was the former residence of the Counts of Calçada and is originated in the 17th century.
This imposing House of impressive dimensions that we can observe today is the result of several renovations and extensions over time, especially those of a romantic style carried out in the second half of the 19th century.
The building belonged to Diogo de Ornelas de França Carvalhal Frazão and Figueiroa, First Viscount of Calçada, who was substitute civil governor of Funchal and later elevated to Count on October 4, 1882. The House remained in the hands of the family and their descendants until 1979 , when it was acquired by the Regional Government.
The Museum House owes its name to Dr. Frederico de Freitas, a lawyer, notary and collector from Madeira who rented it in 1941. Frederico de Freitas accumulated, during his 40-year stay at the house, a set of works of art, later bequeathed to the Autonomous Region of Madeira.
Frederico de Freitas first collected objects related to Madeira, after which he extended his collection to pieces of sculpture, painting, furniture, ceramics, engraving, of national and foreign origin.
After being transferred to the hands of the Regional Government of Madeira, the Museum House Frederico de Freitas was promptly inaugurated in 1998, with the opening of Casa da Calçada, where visitors can access lounges, bedrooms, games room, dining room, tea room and kitchen, trying to recreate the atmosphere of the old Collector's house. These rooms have European paintings, decorative ceramics that are displayed on furniture or in showcases, themes and objects related to Madeira, such as collections of drawings, erudite and popular figures, illustrating some local traditions, still with furniture and sculptures that are the most evident examples. of the region dating from the 19th century.
The museum's final project was completed in 1999, with the completion of the Casa dos Azulejos, which houses the collection of tiles, formed by panels of different dimensions. It is distributed over the four floors of the exhibition according to a chronological logic, evoking the evolution of tiles from the beginning to the present. This exhibition has a space dedicated to the manufacture of tiles, showing various techniques used, mainly showing oriental, Islamic and medieval pieces, different clays, accoutrements and enamels.