Lot Essay
Commemorating the 1775 inauguration of the famous statue, at which time banquets were hosted by King Dom Jose I for "...the magistrates, businessmen and diplomatic corps, and served on this porcelain". See D.S. Howard, The Choice of the Private Trader, p. 261. The tragedy of Lisbon's 1755 earthquake afforded the city an opportunity to rebuild to an Age of Enlightenment aesthetic. Under the guidance of the influential future Marques de Pombal, an ambitious "New Alignment" of the city was planned, wherein the environs of the Royal Palace were transformed into a French-style place royale, rechristened Praco do Comercio, and centered by the impressive equestrian statue of Dom Jose I. See J.A. Levenson, The Age of the Baroque in Portugal, pp. 133-7