Engraving of the 4th Duke of Bragança, Dom Jaime
Author: Carolus Leoni
Origin: France
Dating: 18th century
Material: Copper Sheet & Paper
Dimensions (cm): 35 x 61
Inv. no.: PD1189
Dom Jaime (1479-1532)
Son of Fernando II and D. Isabel. In 1500, he was invested as duke during the rehabilitation of the House of Braganza carried out by King Manuel. He was provisionally sworn in as heir to the Portuguese throne, and to him is attributed the beginning of the construction of the ducal palace of Vila Viçosa – in the south side of Portugal – and the expansion of the offices of the House of Braganza, civil positions and ecclesiastical benefices – which increased the prestige of the prime household of the kingdom.
He is buried in the pantheon of the dukes in Vila Viçosa
This engraving depicts him in half-figure, with armor and holding a sword hilt in his left hand. At the bottom, the coat of arms of the Hereditary Prince of Portugal is displayed.
In the past, engravings were inseparable from books. They were the only process that could be repeated in written works. It was one of the most effective global vessels for a visual knowledge of the world and of its protagonists. It was only with the development of photography that engravings began to be relegated to the realm of oblivion, but they continue to be an indispensable source of knowledge from the past.
