Book bound in white silk and decorated with the coat of arms of the Portuguese family and silver and gold beads.
Detail of a colored fold-out map shows Portugal and other labels in Portuguese.
Detail of a printed book shows title page with text in Portuguese and decorative illustration.
Book bound in white silk and decorated with the coat of arms of the Portuguese family and silver and gold beads.
Book bound in white silk held in red Morocco box with gold ornaments on the covers.

Diario ecclesiastico para os Bispados do Rio de Janeiro, S. Paulo, e Marianna

1808

Published at the royal press in Lisbon in 1818, this very small “ecclesiastical diary” was a wellspring of useful information: a colonial-era Harper’s Index that included the number of years since major events such as the discovery of India, the discovery of Brazil, and the glorious “acclamation” of King John IV. This hand-sized book contains information on royal families of Europe, cities, and other details that would have been useful to a resident of Rio during this time. The elaborate binding – adorned with the crest of the Portuguese crown as well as a red leather casing expressly for this copy – indicates that its owner was likely a very well-heeled member of the Portuguese elite, only a few years away from Brazil’s separation from the motherland in 1822.

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