From English Lace to Brazilian Diamonds: the Orders of D. Maria I to D. Vicente de Sousa Coutinho at the Court of Paris

ABSTRACT The relationship of the uses and customs that concern the material culture, in the Portuguese society of the 18th century, has been analyzed by researchers who use a wide range of documents that allow them to visualize life at the Lisbon court. The correspondence of members of the diplomatic corps has revealed interesting aspects of their daily lives. In this article, we will analyze the letters sent from Lisbon to Paris, which consisted of lists of orders placed by D. Maria I. The interlocutors are João António Pinto da Silva, the Chamber’s Clothes-keeper and Jewel-keeper, and D. Vicente Coutinho, ambassador to the Parisian court. The diversity of objects in the lists, the thoroughness of the descriptions, and the ambassador’s concern to meet the queen’s expectations reveal not only the material circulation but also the material culture of the time.