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Lot Essay
Born in Lisbon, Martinho was the younger son of Francisco de Melo e Castro (1702-c.1765), Governor of Mazagão in North Africa, and Dona Maria Joaquina Xavier da Silva (1698-c.1760). Initially he followed an ecclesiastical career studying at Évora and Coimbra before serving from 1753 to 1755 as envoy to the Netherlands. In 1756 he was transferred to London to hold the post of envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary until 1762. Later that year, he traveled to France, where he represented Portugal as minister plenipotentiary at the peace talks at Fontainebleau in 1762 and Paris in 1763 which ended the Seven Years' War (1756–1763). Following the signing of the treaties, Melo e Castro briefly visited Portugal before returning to England, where he continued to serve as envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary until 1770. On 4 January 1770, he was named secretary of state for naval and overseas affairs, a post he held until his death in 1795.
Described by Jacome Ratton, the French-born but naturalized Portuguese merchant, industrialist, memoirist, and contemporary of Melo e Castro, as honest, though very stubborn and pro-English, these entree-dishes are stylistically French and were probably made to be used during his time in Paris. These entree-dishes would have accompanied the pair of tureens by Thomas Germain dated 1726-1729 with wild boar handles, also engraved with the Melo e Castro arms and now in the Getty Museum, Malibu.
Described by Jacome Ratton, the French-born but naturalized Portuguese merchant, industrialist, memoirist, and contemporary of Melo e Castro, as honest, though very stubborn and pro-English, these entree-dishes are stylistically French and were probably made to be used during his time in Paris. These entree-dishes would have accompanied the pair of tureens by Thomas Germain dated 1726-1729 with wild boar handles, also engraved with the Melo e Castro arms and now in the Getty Museum, Malibu.