Portuguese silver tankard with cover, 19th century Double body, the inner in plain gilt silver and the outer of profuse repoussé and chiselled decoration with classical female masks, floral and foliage motifs and fruits, interlaced with volutes Fruit basket lid pommel Acanthus leaf, foliage motifs and classical bearded mask decoration to handle and neo-medieval thumbpiece with female bust Marked with King Fernando's gothic F monogram under the Royal Crown and inventory number 36 Maker's mark CIMS for Cirilo José Maz da Silva (L-198.0), registered June, 9th 1826 and Lisbon city mark (L-42.0) for ca. 1822 to ca. 1860 Catalogue Essay An unquestionable defining figure within the Portuguese 19th century cultural panorama, King Fernando II (Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha-Koháry, (Vienna 1816 – Lisbon 1885) would reveal himself, soon after his arrival in Portugal following his marriage to Queen Maria II of Portugal (1819-1853), as amitted and knowledgeable art collector. Amongst the broad scope of his interests, gold smithery certainly occupied a most relevant position as can be assessed from the 1866 inventory of his estate. In this long manuscript list,piled by the king himself, all the collected objects are described and classified, possible manufacture dates proposed, and technical and aesthetic analyses annotated. This inventory is also revealing in terms of provenances, both in terms of which objects were King Fernando’s own acquisitions and which were gifted to him. Additionally, to dissipate any possible doubts on their owner, the king also noted at the end of each entry: “Propriedade Minha” (My Own Property). Bequeathed to the Pena National Palace, in whose archive it is now preserved, this important inventory has recently been studied and published on-line, allowing for a deeper knowledge of various objects that have, through time, been dispersed, and are now owned by various public and private collections, or whose location is unknown, as a consequence of the splitting of the inheritance upon the King’s death. The tankard now brought to sale at auction by Veritas is recorded in this inventory list under nr.119, book I, which lists “Objects in silver, gold, etc.”: N.º 119) Caneca de prata por dentro dourada em relevo e cinzelada. Feita no estilo da renaissance, na officina de R. Pinto. Foi-me dada pela rainha D. Maria II de saudosa memoria, é uma bonita peça e tem a particularidade de me ter servido desde os primeiros annos depois da minha chegada a este paiz até ao dia de hoje, para conter a agoa para lavar a bocca; e apanhou-me em muitas viagens n’este paiz. – Tem tampa móvel. Propr. minha. (Nr. 199) Silver tankard gilded on the inside in reliefs and chiselled. Made in the Renaissance style at the workshop of R. Pinto. It was gifted to me by Queen Maria II of wistful memory, it is an elegant piece and it has the peculiarity of having served me from the early years of my arrival to this country up until today, to hold water to