This Portuguese faience plate from the early 17th century is decorated in cobalt blue over a white tin enamel background.

The centre of the plate features a dodecagon that frames the coat of arms of the Mascarenhas and Ângulo families. The shield is quartered, with the 1st and 4th quarters, consisting of three parallel, equidistant stripes, representing the Mascarenhas family, and the 2nd and 3rd quarters, in which five washers, or bezants, are arranged in a saltire, the Ângulo family. The coat of arms is crowned with a helmet and plumage adorned with elaborate vegetal scrolls.

The lip, which extends across the well of the plate and dwarfs the central ornamentation, is intricately decorated. It showcases six cartouches featuring geometric patterns that alternate between trapezoids and equilateral triangles separated by small columns. The fills of the triangular cartouches are completed by similar scalene shapes. The trapezoids, triangles and intervening spaces are fully filled with spirals, while the roughly quadrangular separators that connect them – forming a colonnade – are embellished with scales and hanging ribbons that end in a teardrop shape.

On the reverse side of the lip, there are nine sections inscribed with serpentine lines.

The characteristics of this period reflect the specific decorative styles that derived from external influences. There is an allusion to Chinese porcelain, particularly evident both in the use of cobalt pigment in various shades of blue and in the decoration itself. This resemblance is especially noticeable on the lip, where the trapezoidal panels between columns suggest Kraak porcelain from the Wanli period. Comparisons can also be made with Islamic decorative language and its pervasive use of geometric patterns that prevail in the central decoration. Certain ornamental elements are common to both cultures; for instance, while spirals are considered by many to be of Mudejar origin, they are also found in 16th-century İznik ware and in Chinese porcelain from the Chenghua reign (1465–1487) as well as in Wucai wares from the Wanli period and the transition to the Qing dynasty (1620–1644).

Emblazoned display plates were magnificently placed in noble interiors and homes. The holders of this coat of arms were connected to the highest ranks of the Portuguese and Spanish aristocracy. The Mascarenhas family had ties to the Royal Councils of several Portuguese monarchs and to the Governing Board of Portugal during the Iberian Union.[1] The Ângulo family, of Spanish origin and descended from an illustrious lineage, was associated with prominent members of the Castilian nobility.[2]

The rarity of this exquisite plate lies not only in the exceptional quality of the materials used and the excellent state of conservation but also from the plate’s connection to the distinctive ‘first phase’ of 17th-century Portuguese tableware production, characterised by geometric decoration. This phase was closely linked to the political climate of the Dual Monarchy, which joined Portugal and Spain, and reflected the influence of the noble families that gained prominence during that time.

[1] Cf. Real Academia de la Historia: https://dbe.rah.es/biografias/41240/francisco-de-mascarenhas; https://dbe.rah.es/busqueda?dbe=Mascarenhas

[2] Cf. Real Academia de la Historia: https://dbe.rah.es/biografias/40187/ludovico-angulo; https://dbe.rah.es/busqueda?dbe=angulo