First Floor

Chronology of World Architecture Encounter with the Outside World Historic Pictorial Records of Goa Glimpses of GoaThe Deshprabhu House The Godinho-Jacques House The Loyola-Furtado House The Miranda House The Silva House The Costa House The Kelekar House

Second Floor

Climate and Architecture Material and Construction China Mosaic Flooring Frescoes and Wall Paintings The Interior Oyster Shell Railings False Ceiling Columns Indo-Portuguese Furniture Eaves Board

Attic Floor

Goan Houses Early Views Helder Carita Casa de Sobrado The Balcao Houses and their setting Tulsi Vrindavan and Crosses Raj Angan Machila

© Museum House of Goa
All rights reserved.



The Costa House

Built at the end of the 19th century, this house belongs to one of the first Brahmin families of Goa to receive the title of Moco-Fidalgo (knight-gentleman) of the royal household.In 1695, Antonio de Quadros recieved this award, and the family was thus able to be, in the eyes of the viceroy, on a par with the noble Portuguese families.

The present house, built by two wealthy priest, Pedro de Alcantura Lamartine de Quadros and Lourenco Avelino Xavier de Quadros, was bequeated, for lack of heirs, to the Costa de Cortorim family.

Rooted for centuries in the Loutulim community, the Quadros owned another, older house, with a large chapel attached to the house, but this one was left to the church, and a religious order now occupies it.

Among the civilian constructions of the late 19th century, this house appears as a variation on the patio house type, still well-adapted to the local climate and to the traditional lifestyle of Goan families.

Without the emphasis of a porch, a veranda stretches around the whole of the facade, and is covered by an extension of the house's roof.In these qualities, it resembles the older houses of the Eucher Pereira and Cabrais families of Nagoa.This house type is a result of a structural simplification of rooflines, designed to keep out the rain.The veranda, both very wide and very long, was a favourite spot for relaxing and also served to aerate the house.On the side of the house, another veranda, with columns decorated with carvings of leaves, similar to those at the Cabrais house. The leafwork coiled around the columns is simpler than that of late 18th century columns, when decorative designs for houses were more closely linked to those for altars, churches and chapels.

FalseceilingHere, however, the size of the columns, and their design resembling palm trees, was of remarkable quality, and emphasised the 19th century leaning towards more naturalistic, Hindu aesthetics.The facades turquoise blue colour also had a marvelous optical effect when seen through the dark green tress.Unlike the whitewash favoured by the Portuguese,Indian taste leaned towards naturalists sensitivities, which became more and more fashionable as the 19th century progressed.

Alongside Indian sensitivity, which asserted itself with the greatest simplicity during the 19th century, many stylistic references continued to be made to European taste, diffused by the church. The broken-arch design over windows introduced during this period had its origin in the local construction of neo-Gothic parish churches, and the production of Gothic-style altars and church decorations.But these European elements only affected Indian houses superficially, and did not affect the conceptual structures of Indo-Portuguese house interiors or exteriors.

The Quadros Costa house's interior presents the traditional model, with a patio forming the nucleus and central element in distributing interior space. A long vasary parallel to the facade and opening onto the interior patio linked the social and domestic parts of the house.

One of the reception rooms here contains one of the most beautiful and well-preserved carved slatted wooden ceilings for air circulation.The ceiling structure, small rods arranged in trellis fashion, normally meant these ceilings had short lives and required a great deal of maintenance.While most have disappeared, the 19th century innovation of extending the roofline protected this ceiling from the typical infiltrations of monsoon season.This ceiling dates from the 19th century, but its style shows a much older influence.The application of small carved and gilt wooden flower ornaments denote appreciation for ecclesiastical taste.

In another room there is an enormous shrine or oratory, suggesting that it was commissioned espesially or brought over from another house.Chinese influence is dominant here.Pieces of Chinese export porcelain are mounted in a gilded wood altar, in the manner of the famous porcelain and gilt wood ceiling in the house of the Marquess of Abrantes in London.

BedroomOne of the bedrooms has a bedside table in the same style, incorporating in its front and sides porcelain saucers, indicating that there must have existed more pieces of furniture of this type.

The carving on the wooden shutters is also exquisite, together with the application of small, stylised flowers on the intersections of the shutter frames.As a result of their exposure to rain, the veranda columns are in bad condition.They formed a sequence of arches in delicate trellis patterns, decorated by the same painted wood carved flowers.This decoration, which substitude for the 17th and 18th century lowrelief carving, was used throughout the house, including in the niche-cupboards in the vasary.

The main reception room also displays some of this ecclesiastical influence, housing a set of pelmets and mirrors delicately carved with low-relief, vegetal designs of Hindu influence.

The houses facade is rare in Indo-Portuguese civil architecture, as it faces a garden and the drive approaching the house.This layout is a clear reference to the gardens of the quintas and palaces belonging to Portuguese nobility as they appeared in the survey of Pangim and Santa Ines regions carried out during the 18th century.



© Museum House of Goa
All rights reserved.