Tiled garden bench at dusk

At the Palácio dos Marqueses de Fronteira the benches of the terrace, the Galeria das Artes, carry tiles of cats and monkeys known as macacarias, according to Portuguese Wikipedia. The terrace tiles in blue and manganese, from about 1670, show allegories of poetry and the liberal arts, so the satirical bench tiles sit directly under serious ones. The Tanque dos Ss, in the upper garden, also has monkey and cat tiles. The Jardim do Laranjal, opened in July 2010, was designed by Cristina Castel-Branco with tiles by Eduardo Nery, which shows the tradition continuing in the same gardens.

Macacaria is a theme with a known source. The Portuguese azulejo article says that after the Restoration of 1640 palace building increased demand and Dutch-influenced polychrome tiles appeared, among them scenes of the five senses and monkey-themed tiles popularised by David Teniers. English Wikipedia adds that Plaza 25 de Julio in Santa Cruz de Tenerife has tiled benches dating from 1917, which shows the tiled bench was an idea shared across the Iberian world. In Portugal the garden bench is mainly known from estates such as Fronteira, rather than being a documented everyday type.