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

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.