António Manuel da Fonseca

António Manuel da Fonseca (Lisbon, 1796-Lisbon, 1890) was a Portuguese painter, illustrator and theatrical designer, best known for his mythological and historical scenes. He first trained with his father, João Tomás da Fonseca, a painter and sculptor, and then at the Aula de Desenho e de Figura e História, founded by Joaquim Manuel da Rocha.

His first known work is a panel showing King João VI and Carlota Joaquina, painted in 1820 for the Palácio das Laranjeiras. Two years later he produced a large cycle of frescoes at the Palácio de Quintela, with scenes from the Roman-Sabine wars, views of Rome and its surroundings, and themes from Greek mythology. In 1825 he painted curtains for the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos. With the support of the king and Count Quintela, he travelled to Rome, where he copied the Old Masters and completed his training under Vincenzo Camuccini and Andrea Pozzi. After time in London and Paris, he returned to Lisbon in 1836 and was appointed professor of history painting at the Academia de Belas-Artes.

In 1838 he designed costumes for a play by Almeida Garrett and sets for Meyerbeer's opera Robert le diable. With the lithographer Maurício José Sendim he illustrated António Feliciano de Castilho's Quadros históricos. He exhibited often, culminating in a major 1880 show at the Palácio de Cristal in Porto. He also taught drawing to the future King Carlos and his brother Afonso, and in 1878, in his eighties, he returned to restoration work. His legacy is that of an academic painter who kept Portuguese history painting alive through much of the nineteenth century.