Portugal Ceres Type Stamp, 15 Centavos

Portugal · 1912 · 15c (Centavos)

This definitive stamp features an allegorical depiction of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, grain, and fertility. She is shown wearing a Phrygian cap, a symbol of liberty, and holding a sickle and a sheaf of wheat, representing Portugal's agricultural bounty. This design, created by Constantino de Sobral Fernandes, became an iconic and long-running series for the First Portuguese Republic.

Issued shortly after the 1910 revolution that established the First Portuguese Republic, the Ceres series replaced stamps bearing the image of the deposed monarchy. The design symbolized the new republic's values of liberty, work, and prosperity.