This page and the next one portray some of the oldest known Portuguese heraldic engraved bookplates.
As regards to some of the engravings there are still doubts as to their use as bookplates, whether it is because there is only known one specimen in collections, or due to the fact that none has appeared yet inside the books of its presumed owner.

As it will be seen, the majority of the bookplates posted date from the XVIIth century and the technique used was the steel or copper engraving, typical of that time. Many belonged to the Church hierarchy, primarily bishops, who had large and rich libraries some of which are still in existence today.

The bookplate of the 2nd. Marquis of Castelo Rodrigo, son of the powerful Minister of Philip II (I, of Portugal), depicts two crests which was contrary to the Portuguese and Iberian heraldic traditions, and was probably due to the Flemish origin of the engraver.

In most of the arms depicted we find examples of no respect for the laws of armory. For instance, it was common for armigers to use undifferenced arms and wrong coronets.
In Portuguese heraldic law the right to bear hereditary arms was transmitted to all descendants of the first armiger - through male and female lines. But in each generation differences had to be adopted by individuals who were not the Chief of the Family (i.e. second sons and, generally speaking, the cadet branches of the family). This was done, generally, by impaling or by quartering arms from the male and female lines.

Notwithstanding, these rules were often not respected (as it can be seen in the examples shown).
The majority of the arms bear crests and there is none with supporters which was strange to the medieval Portuguese heraldic tradition.

	D. Jorge de Almeida, Archbishop of Lisbon (1531-1585) C2, 87 x 115 Arms: Quartering: I, IV - Almeida; II, III - Henriques. Notes: F. Moreira Rato does not consider it a bookplate.
D. Afonso de Castelo Branco, Bishop of Coimbra (1522-1615) Motto: «De forti egressa est dulcedo» Arms: Castelo Branco. X2 ,107x123 Note: There are still doubts as to its use as a bookplate. The Castelo Branco's arms bear a lion rampant azure but without the book in his mouth.
	D. Manuel de Moura Corte-Real, 2nd Marquis of Castelo Rodrigo, (1582-1652) Artist: Jan Schorkens (c. 1622) C2, 201x311 Arms: Quarterings: I, IV - Moura; II, III - Corte-Real. Crest: Moura, Corte-Real. Cross of the Castilian Order of Calatrava
Manuel Severim de Faria, (1583-1655), Canon of the See of Évora Artist: A. Paulus (c. 1624) C2 (79x94) Impaled: I - Severim; II - Faria.
	General Francisco de Melo Torres, 1st. Count of Ponte and 1st. Marquis of Sande (1620-1667) C2, 58x63 Arms: Impaled: I - Torres; II - Melo.
Luís José de Vasconcelos e Azevedo (1671-1713) Artist: Clemente Bellinque (c. 1695) C2 (165x255) 3 formats Arms: Impaled: I - Vasconcellos; II - Azevedo (Senhores de S. João de Rei). Crest: Vasconcelos
	D. Simão da Gama, Bishop of the Algarve (1642-1715) C2, 107 x 132 Arms: Gama (from Admiral D. Vasco da Gama, 1st. Count of Vidigueira). Crest: Gama Notes: Overall an escutcheon with the ancient arms of Portugal (augmentation of honour conferred, in 1500, by King D. Manuel I, to Admiral Dom Vasco da Gama after the return from his first voyage to India, in 1498)
D. Manuel da Cunha, Bishop of Elvas (1594-1658) Artist: Luís Nunes C2 68x84 Arms: Cunha (Senhores de Tábua)