1749 dated Spanish Stock Certificate from the Royal Company of Saint Fernando of Seville - Spain Shipping Stock Certificate

A rare 18th century Spanish stock certificate from the Real Compañia de San Fernando de Sevilla [trans: "Royal Company of Saint Fernando of Seville"]. The Spanish language certificate, No. 2237, acknowledged the purchase of a share of 250 pesos in silver species by a shareholder named "D[o]n Gonzales Muñoz y Torres de Mantilla." Signed in Seville, Spain on March 24, 1749 by four company directors and the cashier, whose signatures, with many fanciful flourishes, can be found in the large central cartouche at the bottom. The copper engraving on parchment features its original embossed and intricately cut paper seal at the lower left. Expected folds and gentle warping. Isolated damage found along the central vertical fold has been discretely repaired verso. Some loss to the paper seal and isolated areas of faded handwritten text. Else near fine and abundantly rich in decoration! 16.375" x 11.625."

The stock certificate is profusely decorated with iconography drawn from Christianity, mythology, the New World, and from the city landscape and history of Seville itself. The most important themes on display in this engraving--religion and nationalism--emphasize the extent to which Christianity and civic pride informed the daily life of inhabitants, shareholders, and businessmen in 18th century Seville.

Along the top border, in three roundels, are found Saint Joseph with the baby Jesus; the Virgin Mary of the Sea with the baby Jesus; and Saint Leander of Seville, the 6th century Bishop of Seville who converted the city's early monarchs to Christianity. Saint Fernando, the namesake of the trading company and the patron saint of the city of Seville, is depicted at the center with his attributes of a crown, a sword, and an orb. Before his sainthood, Fernando III (1198-1252) was King of Castille, Leon, and Galicia during the Middle Ages. He is best known for successfully driving out the Moors from Cordoba and Seville, for founding monasteries, and for building churches throughout Spain. He died in Seville, was buried in its major cathedral, and was canonized in 1671. The lovely vignettes are interspersed with banners of text in Latin, whose inspirational messages are predicated on a belief in divine favor.

The city of Seville is depicted in the upper right hand corner of the engraving in an astonishing level of detail. Two of the city's major landmarks can be seen: the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Sea, with "La Giralda," its bell tower built atop a former Muslim minaret; and the Torre del Oro, a 13th century watchtower adjacent to the Guadalquivir River. The three-masted sailing vessel seen on the other side of the image of Saint Fernando underscores the role that Seville played as a gateway to the New World.

The Royal Company of Saint Fernando of Seville was a monopoly trading company established in 1747. It was one of only four firms in the 18th century Spanish Empire permitted exclusive rights to New World riches and mineral rights in South America, the other companies headquartered in Barcelona, Caracas, and Havana respectively. The Royal Company of Saint Fernando of Seville was dissolved 130 years after its founding, in the 1870s.

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