The Germain Service is an 18th-century

tableware Tableware is any dish or dishware used for setting a table, serving food, and dining. It includes cutlery, glassware, serving dishes, and other items for practical as well as decorative purposes. The quality, nature, variety and number of obj ...

set comprising more than a thousand pieces in cast, raised, and chiselled silver, made in the workshop of French silversmith

François-Thomas Germain François-Thomas Germain (1726–1791) was a French silversmith who was often commissioned by European royalty. He inherited the title of royal silversmith and sculptor to the King of France from his father, Thomas Germain. In 1765, Germain bro ...

for the Portuguese royal family. This service is now on permanent exhibition as part of the collection of the

National Museum of Ancient Art The Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (; MNAA), also known in English as the National Museum of Ancient Art, is a Portuguese national art museum located in Lisbon. With over 40,000 items spanning a vast collection of painting, sculpture, goldware, fu ...

, in Lisbon,

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal: :* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...

. The service was commissioned by

Joseph I of Portugal Dom Joseph I ( pt, José Francisco António Inácio Norberto Agostinho, ; 6 June 1714 – 24 February 1777), known as the Reformer (Portuguese: ''o Reformador''), was King of Portugal from 31 July 1750 until his death in 1777. Among other act ...

in 1756, just after the

1755 Lisbon earthquake The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon earthquake, impacted Portugal, the Iberian Peninsula, and Northwest Africa on the morning of Saturday, 1 November, Feast of All Saints, at around 09:40 local time. In combination wit ...

, in an attempt to renew the splendor of the royal court (as the earthquake had, in the words of Royal Jewel Keeper António Pinto da Silva, " educed''to ashes all treasure and tapestries of the Royal Household, sparing nothing''"); there were, however, troubles in the consignment of the service: in 1765, Germain declared bankruptcy and the order was left unfinished (which precipitated the Portuguese Crown to start a legal dispute to reclaim the loss of the goods, to no avail). One of the most expressive elements of a great ''à la française'' service was missing: the fourth-course ''

surtout Surtout was a kind of overcoat. A "surtout" was a 17th-century term used to describe a coat worn over another coat, like a waistcoat. Surtout was a new name for it; prior to 1684, it was known as "Suravit" on account of Surhabit (overcoat). Surto ...

''. Still, the Germain Service was considered the ''First Service'' of the Crown, to which was added the service confiscated from the

Duke of Aveiro Duke of Aveiro ( pt, Duque de Aveiro) was a Portuguese title of nobility, granted in 1535 by King John III of Portugal to his 4th cousin, John of Lencastre, son of Infante George of Lencastre, a natural son of King John II of Portugal. Jo ...

in 1759 (the ''Second Service'') — they both made up "all necessary tableware" for court feasts. The Germain Service was used publicly for the first time during the ceremonies of the

Acclamation An acclamation is a form of election that does not use a ballot. It derives from the ancient Roman word ''acclamatio'', a kind of ritual greeting and expression of approval towards imperial officials in certain social contexts. Voting Voice vot ...

of Queen Maria I, the daughter of Joseph I, on 13 May 1777. In 2006, the Germain Service was made part of the

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: * Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) *Ministry of Culture (Argentina) * Minister for the Arts (Australia) *Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan) * Ministry ...

's list of Portuguese National Treasures.

Gallery

References

{{Reflist 1756 in Portugal Serving and dining Silver objects Tableware