Description:

Age of Discovery
[Lisbon, Portugal], ca. November 28, 1592 - July 9, 1593
Age of Discovery-Dated Portuguese Manuscript, 50+pp, Re: Establishing Lisbon Consulate For Foreign Merchants Plying The Spice & Slave Trade
MDS
An important Age of Discovery-dated manuscript in Portuguese, ca. 1592-1593, relating to a royal edict establishing a consulate in Lisbon for the benefit of foreign merchants. Ca. November 28, 1592 - July 9, 1593. [Lisbon, Portugal.] Beautifully secretarially inscribed on laid paper, some leaves marked with a lovely "Hand With Flower" type watermark associated with French and Spanish paper presses from 1450-1550. The manuscript is approximately 77pp bound in soft brown leather wrappers, of which 53pp feature handwriting and 24pp are blank. Expected wear and weathering to the covers, including wrinkling and soiling. Within, the paper shows scattered water stains, ink bleed-through, and several isolated boring insect trails. Collections labels are located on the spine and on one of the front loose endpapers, and a former collector has pencil-inscribed one of the front loose endpapers. Else very good to near fine. 8.5" x 11.75" x .5."

This untranslated manuscript promises to reveal many other interesting secrets with further research! The former collector amassed a trove of research material related to Portugal, the Age of Discovery, and the Iberian Union. Included is his correspondence exchanged with Norman Fiering, then Director and Librarian at the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University; as well as with maritime historian and published author Dick Pflederer.

The manuscript is comprised of two distinct parts (separated by two blank pages) which could suggest two distinct but related royal edicts, bound in wrappers inscribed "Consulado" ["Consulate"] on the front cover. The first part consists of 11pp, with 21 "items" numbered in the margins; while the second part includes 42pp and features 67 "items" numbered in the margins. Certain of the pages feature a unique "Hand With Flower" watermark, variations of which have been found in 15th/16th C. documents produced in Perpignan, France, Cordoba, Spain, and elsewhere. (See attached photo for watermark examples from our manuscript.) The front cover features the secretarial signature of King Philip I of Portugal (called King Philip II of Spain) as "Yo El Rey." Other secretarial hands belong to one Duarte, secretary of the consulate; "O Cardeal" ["The Cardinal"]; and João Falcão, a scribe.

The opening pages of the manuscript announce the King's orders to open a consulate in Lisbon to better accommodate foreign merchants conducting business within Portugal and the Portuguese Empire. The dominance (and superiority) of Lisbon in world commerce is acknowledged. Lisbon trade connects "dos estados de india oriental e de outras partes da conquista navegacão" ["the states of the East Indies and the other parts [subdued through] navigational conquest."] The formation of a consulate in Lisbon to help the "many merchants" passing through the city will be beneficial to all. The king's decree is announced by way of Miguel de Moura (1538-1600), one of the Spanish king's earliest Portuguese supporters; his name is featured prominently throughout the pages of this manuscript.

The manuscript is notable in two ways: the political context of its date; and its superb mercantile/imperial content. The manuscript dates from ca. 1592-1593, during a 60-year-long period of Spanish rule of Portugal referred to as the Iberian Union. The Spanish monarch Philip I/II (1527-1598) had seized control of Portugal in 1580, during a dynastic crisis, ending the rule of the Portuguese House of Alviz. The manuscript's date also places it firmly in the Age of Discovery (15th-17th C.), a period of intensely competitive international exploration undertaken by many Europeans but dominated by the Portuguese and Spanish.

Many Portuguese explorers - among them Vasco de Gama on his 1498 expedition to India - left on their routes via Lisbon, the nation's capital city since the 13th C. and its most important commercial hub. Situated on the Atlantic seaboard, Lisbon granted unrestricted access to the Mediterranean and the world's oceans. The Portuguese were uniquely equipped to explore the world through advances made in navigation, map-making, and ship construction and design. At this time, the Portuguese were expanding their impressive overseas empire: they maintained trading partners and colonial footholds in South America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The Portuguese Empire flourished on the spice and slave trade, though sugar, textiles, and finished goods also fueled its economy. It's estimated that about 20% of Portugal's income was generated from imperial trade routes during the 16th-19th C.

Miguel de Moura (1538-1600) was a high-ranking political official during the reign of Philip I/II. He was a member of the 5-person government junta - also known as the Council of Regency - between 1593-1598. De Moura also served as Registrar of Finance and Secretary of State.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 8.5" x 11.75" x .5"
  • Medium: MDS

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