Cartouche

Object of the Month – January, 2026

Every month the Museum of the Oldest Appellation in the World highlights one of the many objects that are part of the collection shown in our permanent exhibition. Come and discover the object of the month and find out more about our history.

In the year in which Real Companhia celebrates its 270th anniversary, we selected an object with symbolism that represents the first phase of the company, as a chartered company. This gilded cartouche is contemporary with the founding of Real Companhia Velha, in the 18th century. As the Company was founded by royal charter by King D. José I, several items from its initial period bear the royal arms, a symbol of its majestic past. This piece comes from the old Casa da Companhia, located on Rua das Flores, in Porto, where the company’s first headquarters was located until 1961.

The cartouche is on display in the third area of the exhibition route at the Museum of Oldest Appellation in the World. An area that highlights, through its narrative, assets and interactive supports, the privileges, obligations and statutes of Real Companhia Velha, which is the oldest Portuguese company with uninterrupted activity in the country. Comprising a period between its foundation in 1756 and 1834 (the year that it lost its privileges, with the arrival of liberalism in Portugal).