Soup of the poors in Arroios

The great composition by the painter Domingo António Sequeira, opened by etching by Gregório Francisco de Queirós in 1813, as documented in its registered subscription, is one of the first scenes of the genre created in Portugal. In the design, registering the direct observation of the figures that populate every empty space between the buildings is patent. It represents the dramatic retreat of the population around Lisbon, plundered of land and assets, as the French troops approach, and commanded by General Massena in 1810. On the Largo do Arroios, the setting of Sequeira's design, a daily distribution of food used to be made for the war evacuees, depicted in the work that is known as A Sopa de Arroios, or Arroios Soup. A winged woman surrounded by little genies alludes symbolically to the protection offered by the city of Lisbon, while on the right a hand holds a sceptre surmounted by an eye, noting the enlightened action of the Portuguese crown personified by the Prince Regent João VI, to whom the engraving will be dedicated, according to the subscription (text by Maria João Vilhena).