Museu Carlos Costa Pinto, Decorative arts museum in Vitória district, Salvador, Brazil

The Museu Carlos e Margarida Costa Pinto occupies a 1958 building by architects Euvaldo Reis and Diógenes Rebouças in American Colonial style, built as the Costa Pinto family residence but never inhabited. Adapted for its museum role, it holds 3,175 pieces, including 923 silver items, mostly from Porto, and Baccarat crystal lamps.

The building was designed in 1958 by Euvaldo Reis and Diógenes Rebouças as a residence for the Costa Pinto family, but it was never lived in. On 5 November 1969, with backing from governor Luís Viana Filho, it opened as a museum holding the collection donated by Margarida Ballalai de Carvalho Costa Pinto, widow of the merchant Carlos Aguiar da Costa Pinto. Under governor Antônio Carlos Magalhães a library and an auditorium were added, and on 26 March 2024 the name was changed to include hers.

The collection shows how wealthy families lived during the sugar era, with silver plates, crystal chandeliers, and old furniture from different countries. These objects tell of a life filled with luxury and trade between Brazil and Europe.

The visit allows you to walk through multiple rooms at your own pace and take time with the objects. Plan a couple of hours to explore the collection without rush and enjoy the historic spaces themselves.

The house was designed in 1958 by Euvaldo Reis and Diógenes Rebouças as the Costa Pinto family residence, but the family never lived in it. Among the insignia are pieces of the Imperial Order of the Cross, the Military Order of Christ and the Imperial Order of the Rose. The silverware, the largest section with 923 pieces, comes largely from Porto in the late 19th century.