Portugal Ceres Issue, 1912

Portugal · 1912 · 1/4c

This stamp features an allegorical depiction of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, grain, and fertility. The design, created by Constantino de Sobral Fernandes, shows Ceres standing in a field, holding a sickle and a sheaf of wheat, symbolizing Portugal's agricultural wealth. This iconic design became the first definitive series of the Portuguese Republic.

Issued shortly after the 1910 revolution that established the First Portuguese Republic, the Ceres series replaced stamps bearing the portrait of the deposed King Manuel II. It represented a new national identity for the young republic.