A SPANISH PARCEL-GILT SILVER TOILET-MIRROR FROM THE SERVICE OF MARIA ISABEL OF PORTUGAL, QUEEN OF SPAIN

MARK OF REAL FABRICA DE PLATERIA DE MARTINEZ, MADRID, 1815

Details

A SPANISH PARCEL-GILT SILVER TOILET-MIRROR FROM THE SERVICE OF MARIA ISABEL OF PORTUGAL, QUEEN OF SPAIN
MARK OF REAL FABRICA DE PLATERIA DE MARTINEZ, MADRID, 1815
The double-sided swivel mirror plate with canted angles surrounded by a border of applied flower-heads and vines, with laurel leaf, oak leaf and acorn cresting surmounted by two doves, flanked by Doric columns with winged Cupid finials, the front of the plinth with a frieze of putto sat astride hippocampi flanked by masks, centring the applied cast Royal arms of Spain below cast doves and the Royal crown, the back with a frieze cast as seated dogs amid trailing foliage, further applied with the Royal arms, marked on one side
36½ in. (92.5 cm.) high
34¼ in. (87 cm.) wide
The arms are those of León quartering Castile with Bourbon in pretence for Maria Isabel of Portugal, Queen of Spain (1797-1818), daughter of John VI of Portugal and his wife Carlota Joaquina of Spain and sister of Pedro I of Brazil. She married, in 1815, King Ferdinand VII of Spain.

Provenance

Part of an extensive toilet-service presented by the city of Madrid to Princess Maria Isabel of Portugal, Queen of Spain (1797-1818) on her marriage to King Ferdinand VII of Spain and returned on her death to her husband
King Ferdinand VII of Spain and by descent to his fourth wife
Princess Marie Christina of the Two Sicilies, Queen Consort, and by descent to her eldest daughter
Queen Isabella II, Queen Regnant of Spain (1830-1904) and probably by descent to her eldest surviving son
King Alfonso XII (1857-1885), following the exile and later abdication of his mother and by descent to his son
King Alfonso XIII (1886-1941) who is presumed to have given it away prior to 1925 when the remains of the service which were still preserved at the Palace were published.
Purchased by the current owner in London in the 1960s.

Brought to you by

Matilda Burn

mburns@christies.com +44 (0)20 7752 3026

Lot Essay

The service, to which the present mirror once belonged, has been extensively researched and published by Fernando A. Martín, the curator of Silver and Metalwork for the Royal Palace in Madrid, most recently in the exhibition catalogue El aragonés Antonio Martínez y su fábrica de platería en Madrid, Madrid, 2011, pp. 84-103. While many of the pieces from the service are still preserved in the Royal Palace it was thought that the present mirror, once the centrepiece of the service, was, either lost or refurbished to match other services in the Royal Palace.

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