61 - CALAMUS INKSTAND, PENTECOSTES INKSTAND, AND ARMILAR INKSTAND

CALAMUS INKSTAND, PENTECOSTES INKSTAND, AND ARMILAR INKSTAND AND ARMILAR INKSTAND Vista Alegre porcelain, molded and embossed. Polychrome decorations, hand-painted. Inscription on the bases: COMMEMORATIVE PIECE OF THE 500TH ANNIVERSARY OF VASCO DA GAMA’S VOYAGE TO INDIA. Designs created by António Viana. #Limited and numbered series of 350 pieces. Piece No. 34. Mark No. 39 (1997–2001). Dimensions: 14 cm; 20 cm; and 9.5 cm. In *Vista Alegre Magazine* No. 8, September 1998, there is an article about these inkwells, which states: “The Commission for the Discoveries invited a group of artists to create pieces commemorating the 5th Centenary of Vasco da Gama’s voyage to India. In collaboration with Vista Alegre, artist António Viana recreated for the event three inkwells—Armilar, Calamus, and Pentecostes. The “Pentecostes” and “Armilar” versions were based on inkwells seen in an anonymous 16th-century painting belonging to the Church of Santa Cruz in Coimbra, with decoration inspired by the ceiling of the choir loft at the Convent of Christ in Tomar. The Calamus inkwell, in turn, is based on Islamic motifs—a strong presence in Vasco da Gama’s expedition across the Indian Ocean—with Arabic-inspired decoration.