A Hidden Treasure at Palácio da Ajuda in Lisbon: The IDM Monogrammed Set of Chinese Porcelain of Princess Maria da Assunção

In 1862 a set of silver and porcelain pieces was discovered at Palácio da Ajuda which was omitted from the inventories, during the preparations for the marriage of King Luís I of Portugal to Queen Maria Pia. Shortly afterwards it was disclosed that the porcelain services had belonged to Princess Maria da Assunção and were hidden because of her escape in 1833 to Santarém during the civil war. However, doubt persisted as the services could have belonged to her brother, Prince Miguel. The purpose of this article is to reinforce the fact that they belonged to Princess Maria da Assunção, through a new iconographic and symbolic reading of the porcelain pieces and based equally on archival sources and bibliography.