Blown and molded crystal Geometric and foliage motifs decoration Grooved base of concentric circles Cup with monogram MP surmounted by engraved and gilt diagonal royal crown 2 decanters, 1 water jug, 1 beer cup, 8 sorbet c, 18 water glasses, 16 red wine glasses, 13 Reno wine glasses, 17 Port glasses, 17 Madeira wine glasses, 17 anise liqueur glasses, 17 champagne glasses, 16 champagne flutes, and 18 punch c 157 pieces in total France, circa 1901-1902 (minor losses, chips to the bottles bases) About The National Palace of Ajuda Glass Collection The heterogeneous character of the glass collection at the Palace of Ajuda coincides with the period during which, King Luís I (1838-1889) and Queen Maria Pia of Savoy (1847-1911), made the Palace their official Lisbon residence. Perhaps due to her Italian origins, Queen Maria Pia of Savoy had a true passion for glass. Throughout her 48 years in Portugal, between 1862 and 1910, the Queen was an avid collector of a variety of decorative and utilitarian objects, lighting equipment, mirrors, drinking glass and dressing table sets from all the main and most renowned European glass makers. An assiduous traveller in the context of her time, Queen Maria Pia undertook numerous European trips, having visited, often more than once, such cities as Madrid, Paris, Nice, Vienna, London, Carlsbad, Turin – her birthplace, Rome, Venice and Murano. Researching her diaries, note books and personal records, as well as those from her apanying ladies-in-waiting, extant purchase receipts and specialised catalogues, it is possible to find many references to the most fashionable and prestigious European department stores and glassmaker’s showrooms such as A La Paix, Grand Dépot, Au Bon Marché, Baccarat, Moser, J&L Lobmeyr,pagnia di Venezia e Murano and Salviati & Co., which she visited in her travels and from which she acquired numerous glass objects. In addition to personal visits, the Queen had specialised illustrated catalogues sent to her in Lisbon, from which she could order her chosen pieces. The personal interest for interior decoration and a sophisticated taste for the applied arts, which include the arts of the table, were undoubtedly related to the Queen’s character. It is evident that her taste evolved, and that her refined, precise and contemporary awareness weighed on her preferences for the best and most fashionable pieces in the market. From vast table sets, emblematic of luxury living in private or state occasions, to dressing table sets, drinking verres d’eau or liqueur, refreshment or bedroom sets, the Queen’s purchases were enriched by specific owner or heraldic motifs, such as individual monograms - “MP”, “LI”, “LM” or “LMP”, often interlinked and surmounted by the Royal Crown, the Portuguese Royal Shield or thebined armorial shield for the Braganza-Savoy alliance. In this instance, the important drinking glass set that we are bringing to sale, features the Queen’s interlaced monogram “MP”