The first major task of this research project will be to find out how such a diversified group of panels integrated King Ferdinand’s art collection. For the time being, there are two hypotheses which demand different approaches. The first one is centred on the idea that the king acquired the panels after he arrived in Portugal (1836) but before 1867, when according to the written sources they were already installed in Palácio das Necessidades and Palácio da Pena. The second hypothesis stands on the belief that the collection was inherited from a previous collector in the family. The main argument for this theory is the fact that stained glass groups with similar characteristics were also in the property of other members of the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha House at that period.

In order to determine if the collection was acquired by King Ferdinand, the archives in Fundação Casa de Bragança, Vila Viçosa, and in Torre do Tombo, Lisbon, will be studied. The former keeps the archive of the king’s Private Office, which was moved from Lisbon to Vila Viçosa in the 20th century. This archive comprises mainly letters and receipts concerning incomes and expenditures of King Ferdinand after his arrival in Portugal. Some receipts from the acquisition of glass objects were already found, but more research is needed in order to understand if the same happens with stained-glass panels. In the National Archives of Torre do Tombo the “Casa Real” and “Arquivo Histórico do Ministério das Finanças” sets hold both administrative and fiscal documentation concerning the Royal House and private letters, acquisitions’ receipts and documents with political significance. This archive has not been properly indexed yet, therefore a considerable amount of time will be allocated to search for significant documents that may contribute to the aims of this project.

In the event that the collection had been inherited by the king and brought to Portugal, the answer may lie on other archival institutions. The State Archive of Coburg, Germany, holds significant documentation concerning the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Other archives, such as the Archive of the Free State of Thuringia or the National Library in Coburg, may also provide some answers. Research concerning King Ferdinand II was never conducted in these institutions. In fact, most of what we know today about the king is the result of the work of José Teixeira, who focused his research on the Portuguese archives. This project will look for information concerning the stained glass collection, but at the same time it will bring to light new data that will help to better understand the life and collecting practices of the husband of Queen Mary II of Portugal.

Apart from the research in the archives it will be of equal importance to discover wherefrom these stained glass panels were commissioned and when they were made. To this effect, this project will be working with professionals from other museums and collections who keep similar artworks, such as the Fortress of Coburg and the Victoria and Albert Museum, in London.