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Found in a tomb north of Thebes, this simple, elegant alabaster bowl was modelled on an everyday ointment bowl. The ancient Egyptians adorned tombs with such copies of everyday objects made from noble materials. This one is 4,000 years old.

This beautiful, wide-rimmed terracotta vase is decorated with mythological motifs: the abduction of Phoebe and Hilaira by Castor and Pollux, and a bacchanalian scene.

A large gallery shows a wide-ranging collection of manuscripts, carpets, textiles, ceramics and other objects from Turkey, Syria, the Caucasus (including Gulbenkian’s birthplace Armenia), Persia and India.

This rare blue-glazed piece dates from an earlier period (1279–1368) than most of the Far Eastern collection. It is decorated with delicate high-relief cutouts of Taoist figures under bamboo leaves.

This engaging chiaroscuro portrait of a bearded man is an example of Rembrandt’s preoccupation at that time with ageing. The gaze is tired, and the large hands intricately lined but held in a relaxed manner. Nothing is known about the model.

Two paintings by the 15th-century Flemish master Rogier van der Weyden are believed to be parts of an altarpiece; a third element is in London’s National Gallery. The female figure is thought to be St Catherine of Alexandria.

Considered ostentatious and over-decorated by some, the 18th-century French pieces in the decorative art collection fascinate for their materials and craftsmanship. Stars include a Louis XV chest inlaid with Japanese lacquer panels, gold leaf, mother-of-pearl, bronze and ebony; and a table with folding flaps and a shelf that flips over to reveal a mirror.

Édouard Manet’s 1867 painting is not just a version of the popular allegory on the transience of life and art, but a deftly and freely painted portrait of Léon-Édouard Koëlla, Manet’s stepson.

A graceful marble 1780 statue by the French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon is unusual for the era in that it depicts the goddess in movement, and completely naked. It belonged to Catherine the Great of Russia and was exhibited at the Hermitage, where its nudity caused scandal and notoriety.

Gulbenkian was a close friend of the French Art Nouveau jeweller René Lalique, and bought many of his graceful pieces. In fact, this part of the museum has almost too many.