Revised July, 3rd 2012
Palácio do Correio Velho
Auction 284 – June, 19-20 June 2012
Collection of D. Manuel de Souza e Holstein Beck, Count of Póvoa
The Count of Póvoa – a founding member of our Academy – was a great and fine Art collector namely, of insignia of the ancient Portuguese military orders – Christ, Avis and St. James of the Sword -, and of the Orders of Saint Elizabeth and Our Lady of the Conception of Vila Viçosa.
The auction included a remarkable and exceptional set of 74 jewels-insignia, in gold and silver, with precious stones, from the XVII-XIX centuries, especially from the order of Christ. From the Catalogue – in a deluxe edition richly illustrated – we have picked the following items:
- Lot 97 – Cross of Knight Commander of the Order of Christ, XVIII c., in silver, set with «minas-novas» (quartz) and padded granates with case – € 8.000
- Lot 100 – Order of Christ, in silver and gold, set with granates and diamonds in ancient brilliant cut, the central diamond of the lace weighing approx. 1 kt, XIX c. – € 12.000
- Lot 103 – Cross of a Knight Commander of Christ, XVIII c., in silver, set with strass, granates and colorless topazes. The cross topped by a lace with flowers and a riband holder – € 9.000
- Lot 132 – Order of Christ, XVIII c., in silver and gold, surrounded by interlaced elements and the Sacred Heart, of later execution, with enamels, set with diamonds of ancient brilliant cut – € 11.000
- Lot 135 – Cross of a Knight Commander of Christ, XIX c., in silver, with a gold ring, set with granates and «minas-novas» (topazes), the central stone being a strass. French control marks of the XIX c. – € 5.000
- Lot 175 –Described as a Star of the Three Orders in gold and enamels, XIX c., with riband; Height approx.: 9.5 cm – € 5.000
- Lot 177 – Insignia of the Order of Our Lady of the Conception of Vila Viçosa in gold and enamels, XIX c., set with 69 diamonds in rose cut and 242 in ancient brilliant cut, weighing approx. 11 kt. – € 11.000
- Lot 179 – Star of the Order of Aviz in silver and gold decorated with polychrome enamels. Failures in the enamel. Weight approx.: 24.1 gr., Comp. approx.: 6.5 cm – € 1.000
- Lot 180 – Insignia of the Royal Order of Queen St. Elizabeth in gold and enamels, XIX c. Central medallion topped with closed royal crown, with enameled front and decorated with a scene of the miracle of the roses and the legend «Pauperum Solatio»; reverse with the monogram of the Founder, a «C» and a «J» interlaced (Carlota Joaquina) having at the bottom a the date in Roman numerals MDCCCI (1801) – € 9.500
- Lot 181 – Exceptional insignia of the Order of Christ, in gold, set with rubies, XVII, with the central cross enameled – € 15.000.
Among the Paintings with Phaleristic interest, and apart from miniature portraits of King Dom Miguel I, Queen Mary II and King Dom Manuel II, the auction included three lots particularly valuable and important as an iconographic source:
- Lot – 193 – Portuguese School, XIX c. – King John VI – Ivory miniature. Wooden frame within a golden metal ring – € 1.700.
In this fine portrait, Prince John wears the Ribands and Stars of Grand Cross of the Three Portuguese Military Orders, of the Order of Charles III and the Grande-Aigle of the Legion d’Honneur (1805), which allows it to be dated around 1805-1807.
Till now, only two other portraits of the Prince Regent were known, wearing the star of the Grande Aigle of the Legion d’Honneur: the oil painting at the S. Paulo Arts Museum (Brazil) and the engraving by Francesco Bartolozzi, after Domenico Pellegrini, both reproduced in the article published at Bulletin «Pro Phalaris», #1. Jan-June 2010, pp. 15-23.
- Lot 194 – Portuguese School, XVIII c. – Portrait of Queen Mary I – Oil painting on canvas – € 4.600.
The Queen wears the cross of the Order of Christ pending, at the midlle of the chest, from a red stripe, similar to other known paintings of the Queen painted before the Reform of 1789.
- Lot 195 – Portuguese School, XIX c. – Portrait of King John VI. Oil painting on canvas, attributed to José Sampaio (1770-1824) according to a plaque.
It is an exceptional and unique portrait of the King since he is portrayed wearing the famous Garter of the Order of the Garter, which he received in 1823, at a ceremony at the Royal Palace of Ajuda, apart from the Golden Fleece and the Ribands and Stars of the four orders with which he was usually portrayed after the end of 1808 – the creation of the Order of the Tower and Sword.
The unidentified star, hidden under the Ribands, might be that of the Order of Our Lady of the Conception of Vila Viçosa or, one of the foreign orders the King received – Saint Ferdinand or Isabel, a Católica – or even, the order of the Holy Ghost, received a few days before the Garter.
Further Reading:
José Vicente de Bragança. L’Empereur Napoléon I – Grand Cordon des Trois Ordres Militaires – du Christ, d’Avis et de St. Jacques, in Catalogue de l’exposition « La Berline de Napoléon», Musée National de la Légion d’honneur, Paris, Albin Michel, 2012, pp. 185-188.
____________ A evolução da Banda das Três Ordens Militares (1789-1826), in Revista «Lusíada História n.º 8 / 2011, pp. 259-284.
_____________El-Rei D. João VI e a Ordem da Torre e Espada (1808-1826), Lisboa, Ed do Autor, 2011
. ____________ As ordens militares portuguesas até ao reinado de D. João VI – Bosquejo Histórico, in Paulo Estrela, «Ordens e Condecorações Portuguesas (1801-1826)», Lisboa, Tribuna da História, 2009, pp. 19-32.
José Vicente de Bragança // Paulo Estrela. A Falerística nas Relações Diplomáticas Luso-Francesas no I Império, in Boletim «Pro Phalaris», # 1, [Janeiro – Junho, 2010], Academia Falerística de Portugal, Lisboa, 2010.
Photos, courtesy of Palácio do Correio Velho to whom we thank.
