Oratory of the kings and their conquests: pictures and leaflets collected by Diogo Barbosa Machado

Abstract

This paper analyzes the so-called collections of pictures and leaflets organized by the Portuguese bibliophile Diogo Barbosa Machado (1682-1772), today preserved at the National Library of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro. The analysis considers Barbosa Machado’s experiences both as an Oratorian cleric and as a member of the Royal Academy of Portuguese History in the mid-eighteenth century. Going beyond a mere social contextualization, the study considers the cultural and social history of the collections and the perceptions to which they were subjected, in form and in content, within and outside the main milieus that Barbosa Machado belonged to. This allows us to gain a better understanding of their peculiarities and common features, as well as the expectations the collector placed on his history of the Portuguese Monarchy.