The mission of the Storage, Conservation and Restoration Department (RCR) is to ensure the valorisation, management, conservation, and restoration of the objects that make up Sport Lisboa e Benfica's collection of cultural assets. This department covers an area of about 800m², composed of four storage rooms, a room equipped with an anoxic disinfestation chamber, a laboratory, and a conservation and restoration room. Inaugurated on 2 November 2010, it was distinguished in 2011 by the Portuguese Museology Association with the "Best Conservation and Restoration Intervention" award. In 2020, it won the Keck Award, an award established by the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (IIC). This distinction is an unprecedented award for a Portuguese project and attests to the excellence of the work carried out by the Department to promote the cultural heritage of Sport Lisboa e Benfica.
Departamento de Reserva, Conservação e Restauro
A voyage through the Storage, Conservation and Restoration Department
Storage Rooms
In the storage rooms are kept, organised and properly accommodated all the items that form the Club's
trophies and offers collection.
Conservation and Restoration room and laboratory
The conservation and restoration interventions take place in these two places, in objects composed by
various materials such as: wood, metal, ceramic, leather, textile, as well as graphic and photographic
documents.
Inventory and research
Documentation, research, record and inventory are essential to the management and preservation of the
about 30 thousand pieces that form the Club's collection. All of the items are identified with a unique
bar code and the inventory management uses a computer application developed specifically for this
department.
Photographic record
Collecting images, during and after the restoration interventions is essential for the identification
and study of each item.
Restoration Interventions
The study and evaluation of the collection guarantee the bases for the strategic planning of all the
conservation and restoration interventions advanced by the RCR. Every year a set of objects from SLB’s
collection is selected for intervention. Exceptionally RCR can restore items for other institutions.
Set-up and accommodation of pieces for exhibition
RCR conducts all of the restoration and conservation interventions necessary to hold temporary
exhibitions of SLB’s collection, and is responsible for keeping Benfica Museum – Cosme Damião’s
permanent exhibition updated.
Internship programme and training
Supporting formation of new Conservators is one of RCR missions. In the last few years students and
young professionals from Portugal, Spain, Italy, Belgium, United Kingdom, Croatia, United States of
America, Colombia and Australia participated in conservation internships.
