Pelican and Darius

The two medallions formed part of the group of ceramic sculptures that arrived in Lisbon after the foundation of the Convent of Madre de Deus, in 1509, by Queen Leonor (1458-1525), the wife of João II (r. 1481-1495). The garlands of leaves, flowers and fruits encircle the inner medallions with their heraldic and allegorical representations celebrating the memory of that king.
The Pelican was the emblem of João II, being composed of three elements that symbolized the king’s individuality: the pelican feeding its young with its blood, which is a Christological, Eucharistic and political symbol, associated with the motto “For the Law and for the People”, forms the body of the emblem; the phrase “IVSTVS . VT. PALMA . floREBIT . ET” (The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree), which is taken from the Book of Psalms (92, 13), is the soul of the emblem; the top of the palm tree, which serves as the nest for the baby pelicans, is the symbol of righteous men.
King Darius of Persia (c. 550-486 BC) is the effigy of an illustrious man from Antiquity and is an allegorical personification of the good government and character of João II. The work faithfully follows a lost profile of Darius sculpted in metal by Andrea del Verrocchio (1435-1488), disseminated through a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). It was displayed on the convent’s south façade, until it was removed in the nineteenth century and incorporated into the royal collection of Fernando II.