Made in India upon commission from Portugal, second half of the 17th century Dark blue velvet with yellow and white satin appliqués Coat of arms of the Cunhas Inv. 95 This beautiful Indo-Portuguese door hanging features the coat of arms of the Cunha family inside a circular medallion. The contrast of the yellow and white satin appliqués against the dark blue velvet, with flower vases, birds facing one another and a variety of coils, creates a striking decorative effect. This hanging is likely to have formed part of a larger set and at least two other specimens are known: one at the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga and the other in a private collection. They may be the ‘curtains with the coat of arms of the Cunhas’ mentioned in the memoirs of the 1st Count of Povolide, who describes the interior of the palace at the time of his marriage in 1697. The hangings are known to have been at the palace of the Marquises of Olhão in Xabregas at the start of the 20th century, as they can be seen covering two doors in a hall in a photograph from that period. Years later, the same hangings or two identical ones hung at the entrance to the Viscount of Marco’s collection at Junqueira Palace, where they decorated the walls of one of the rooms. This piece came into Ricardo do Espírito Santo Silva’s possession following the sale of the palace’s contents.