2 - Antonio belongs to the small cultural and artistic elite, wich started to develop, in a still provincial Portugal, synthoms of a developed Europe, cult, civilized and opened to the world.
Means Antonio as a part of an elite (not necessarily financial), of artists and intelligent people, wich started to develop in a still delayed Portugal (provinces is the division of a country in administrative parts, but also is an adjetive to denote that a region is delayed), ideas of a modern developed Europe, more cult, civilized and opened to the world.