Panel with coat of arms of D. Jaime de Bragança

Commissioned from Seville, circa 1510, the panel with the four ceramic plaques that reproduces the coat of arms of D. Jaime, fourth Duke of Bragança (b. 1479 - d. 1532), bears witness to the regard with which these workshops were held in 16th century Portugal. It was executed with the aresta technique, but the coat of arms is lacking the colour red in the border, for it did not exist in Europe’s ceramic palette at the time. This space, unfired, was meant to be filled in when cold, possibly with a ferrous oxide slip. Under the chief (upper third of the coat of arms) we see the prince’s maternal arms, and on the border the so-called banco de pinchar or three-legged stool, a heraldic difference appearing here to mark the arms of the Infantes. It is thought that this element may be a representation of the stool reserved for the Princes of the Royal Blood or a specific type of collar that was possibly reserved for their use. D. Jaime received these arms at the request of the Cortes, and was sworn as provisional heir to the throne when King D. Manuel I (b. 1469 - d. 1521) travelled to Castile, as the monarch had not yet ensured his succession.