Inside Portugal: Europe's West Coast

A monthly newsletter for U.S. travel writers and editors from the Portuguese National Tourism Office Junho/June 2009

Portugal can be seen from north to south in its pottery. It is more than an art in Portugal, or even a souvenir – it captures the nation's soul in clay.

Sure, Portugal is famed for its high quality, locally made leather goods, copper, handcrafted silver and gold, embroidery and tapestry, woodcarving, cork products, porcelain and china, crystal and glassware too. But today, Portuguese potters turn their creative heritage into new forms of art.

People in Portugal have worked clay since prehistory – it is part of the very ground the nation is built on. Travel the country and one finds glazed tiles everywhere, on churches, houses, palace façades and in gardens. You see traditional red and black clay and every region has both. Many areas offer amazing museum reproductions such as Viana do Castelo and Coimbra and, there are whimsical and fun clay traditions such as the figures from Estremoz, the greenware from Caldas, or the Rooster of Barcelos.

Caldas da Rainha, just north Lisbon, is the center of Portuguese pottery due to the abundance of clay deposits. Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, opened a factory in 1884 that makes the town, Fabrica de Faianca, famous. The factory still puts out a variety of cabbage and greenware, figurines, and fanciful pottery.

Black pottery is found in Molelos, in Centro. The artisans of this region are identified by their creations, practicing the art of pottery-making through generations.

Traditional arts, ceramics and tiles from Coimbra have distinct values. Lisbon's Museu Nacional do Azulejo is one of the most important national museums due to its singular collection of Azulejo (Tile), an artistic expression which differentiates the Portuguese culture, and for the unique building where it's installed, the former Madre de Deus Convent, founded in 1509 by Queen Dona Leonor.

This june 10th, have a great Portugal Day! The Dia de Portugal is the day of poet Luís Vaz de Camões' death - June 10, 1580. His Lusiads is an epic 10-Canto poem celebrating DaGama's voyage to India. Now -a voyage across Portugal in clay:

Caldas da Rainha

Welcome to the unofficial capital of Portuguese pottery - Caldas da Rainha, where people have been making pots of clay since prehistoric times. Locally known for its sulfuric waters, Caldas da Rainha, means the Queen's hot springs. Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro and his brother opened the Fabrica de Faiancas in 1884. They put out decorative pieces, faience, tin-glazed earthenware, and wonderful tiles. Caldas da Rainha's pottery falls into two main categories: utilitarian house wares, such as plates, bowls, platters, mugs, and tureens and decorative items, such as caricature figurines, including a cabbage-shaped soup tureen. One of the most popular decorative figures is Zé Povinho the bearded peasant "Joe Sixpack." http://www.museubordalopinheiro.pt/

Coimbra

Coimbra reins over the River Mondego, and is known as a city of students, but it is also a city of pottery. Because of its refined beauty and history, Coimbra's pottery can't be confused with any other. Coimbra pottery is based on museum reproductions dating back to the 15th century with polychromatic styles in geometric forms and images of roosters, fish and peacocks with an Asian and Moorish influence. By the 17th century Vasco da Gama had returned from India and Chinese porcelain became known in Portugal. The Chinese influence soon disappeared and a truly Portuguese style of colorful pottery began to emerge in Coimbra's many workshops. By the 17th century Coimbra's pottery consisted of reproductions of Portuguese hunting scenes, where feathers as well as wild animals such as boars, deer, rabbits and dogs can be seen. Within a century, the color of choice had become blue on a white background.

Today, stores through out the Alta (Old Quarter) sell hand painted Coimbra pottery for a handful of local workshops. All are signed by the artist, and come with a century mark to show which style they are in. Today, from the shops at the steps leading up to the city's Romanesque Cathedral, to the artist cooperative in the former tower of the city's walls (A Torre do Anto) it is easy to find Coimbra pottery and enjoy it! The Museu Nacional de Machado de Castro offers a massive collection of the local pottery from the 15th century. http://www.turismodecoimbra.pt/en/leisure-activities/artesanato.html

Nisa

The small village of Nisa sits north of the Marvão Mountains in the Alentejo Region. It does not take long to find the locally made bilhas (pots and cantarinhas water jugs), plus cups and plates in all sizes. The pottery is displayed on the roadside because this is how they dry it before it goes into the ovens to be fired. Pieces made of red clay, painted with small shiny dots and inlaid with tiny Quartz gems are typical of Nisa's pottery. http://wwwrtsm.pt/ingles/iartesanato.htm and http://www.verytypical.com/artisan_details.asp?Cod_Artesao=2

Redondo

Redondo is a village of the Alentejo, known for its colorful and bright pottery, painted on a red clay background. The first historical reference to the first potters' corporations and the first trading regulations of this handmade industry, came from this village, and are proudly guarded there.   When one walks along the narrow streets of the Redondo village, at each corner you will find potters' displaying pitchers, pots, amphorae, painted plates, jars and many other typically colored pieces. 

Supposedly, this pottery tradition has its origin in the Roman and Arabian cultures, which existed in this region for long periods, at different times, and they influenced and left to this village cultural values and techniques that sought the maximum profit due to the natural richness of clay's subsoil Those influences are very evident in many ways, in the terminology with which certain pieces of this pottery are named, in the shapes of certain pieces, and even in the decorative motifs used in the more typical and popular pieces. Pottery from Redondo "evokes the rural life, floral motifs and are also reproductions of antique plates from the XVII centu
[Back to Press Releases Main]