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''Azulejo'' (, ; from the Arabic ''al- zillīj'', ) is a form of Spanish and Portuguese painted
tin-glazed Tin-glazing is the process of giving tin-glazed pottery items a ceramic glaze that is white, glossy and opaque, which is normally applied to red or buff earthenware. Tin-glaze is plain lead glaze with a small amount of tin oxide added.Caiger-Smith, ...
ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelai ...
tilework. ''Azulejos'' are found on the interior and exterior of churches,
palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...
s, ordinary houses, schools, and nowadays, restaurants, bars and even railways or
subway station A metro station or subway station is a station for a rapid transit system, which as a whole is usually called a "metro" or "subway". A station provides a means for passengers to purchase tickets, board trains, and evacuate the system in the ...
s. They are an ornamental art form, but also had a specific functional capacity like temperature control in homes. There is also a tradition of their production in former Spanish and Portuguese colonies in
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
,
South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...
, the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
, Goa (India), Lusophone Africa,
East Timor East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-we ...
, and
Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
(China). ''Azulejos'' constitute a major aspect of Spanish architecture and Portuguese architecture to this day and are fixtures of buildings across Spain and Portugal and its former territories. Many azulejos chronicle major historical and cultural aspects of Spanish and Portuguese history.


History


13th to 15th century

The word ''azulejo'' (as well as the Ligurian ''laggion'') is derived from the
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...
(''al-zillīj''): zellij, meaning "polished stone" because the original idea was to imitate the Byzantine and Roman mosaics. This origin shows the unmistakable Arab influences in many tiles: interlocking curvilinear, geometric or floral motifs. The craft of ''zellige'' is still in use in the Arab world in two main traditions the "Egyptian Zalij" and the "Moroccan Zellige", the latter being the most famous. The Spanish city of Seville became the major centre of the Hispano-Moresque tile industry. The earliest ''azulejos'' in the 13th century were ''alicatados'' (panels of tile-mosaic). Tiles were glazed in a single colour, cut into geometric shapes, and assembled to form geometric patterns. Many examples can be admired in the Alhambra of Granada. The old techniques of '' cuerda seca'' ('dry string') and ''cuenca'' developed in Seville in the 15th century These techniques were introduced into Portugal by King Manuel I after a visit to Seville in 1503. They were applied on walls and used for paving floors, such as can be seen in several rooms, and especially the Arab Room of the Sintra National Palace (including the famous ''cuenca'' tiles with the armillary sphere, symbol of king Manuel I). The Portuguese adopted the Moorish tradition of ''
horror vacui Horror vacui can refer to: * Horror vacui (art), a concept in art approximately translated from Latin ''fear of empty spaces'' *Horror vacui (physics), a physical postulate * ''Horror Vacui'' (film), a 1984 German satirical film * ''Horror Vacui' ...
'' ('fear of empty spaces') and covered the walls completely with ''azulejos''. File:Cuarto Real de Santo Domingo, Granada. Elementos decorativos.jpg, (Moorish) Azulejos (ca. 13th century) of the Qubba of Cuarto Real de Santo Domingo, Granada. File:Alhambra-p3-wall.jpg, (Moorish) ''Alicatado'' in the Alhambra, ''circa'' 1350,
Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...
File:Capilla Mudéjar de San Bartolomé in der Calle Averroes, Córdoba - panoramio.jpg, (Christian) Capilla de San Bartolomé (ca. 1410),
Córdoba Córdoba most commonly refers to: * Córdoba, Spain, a major city in southern Spain and formerly the imperial capital of Islamic Spain * Córdoba, Argentina, 2nd largest city in the country and capital of Córdoba Province Córdoba or Cordoba may ...
File:Section of a tile floor with coat of arms.jpg, (Christian) ''Alfardones'' », ''circa'' 1420, Manises, Spain File:Palacio Sintra azulejo5.JPG, (Christian) Azulejos of the 15th century of the Sintra National Palace, Portugal File:Alcazar Segovia 200846.JPG, (Christian) Tiles in Alcázar of Segovia


16th century

Potters from Italy came into Seville in the early 16th century and established workshops there. They brought with them the '' maiolica'' techniques which allowed the artists to represent a much larger number of figurative themes in their compositions. The first Italian potter to move into Spain was Francisco Niculoso who settled in Seville in 1498. Examples of his work can still be admired ''in situ'' in the Alcazar of Seville. Under the influence of the
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass id ...
style introduced by Italians artists, most azulejos were polychrome tile panels depicting allegorical or mythological scenes, scenes from the lives of saints or the Bible, or hunting scenes.
Mannerism Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Ita ...
and the grotesque style, with its bizarre representations, had much influence on azulejos. Until the mid-16th century the Portuguese continued to rely on foreign imports, mostly from Spain, such as the ''Annunciation'' by Francisco Niculoso in Évora, but also on a smaller scale from Antwerp (Flanders), such as the two panels by Jan Bogaerts in the Paço Ducal of Vila Viçosa (Alentejo). One of the early Portuguese masters of the 16th century was Marçal de Matos, to whom ''Susanna and the Elders'' (1565), in Quinta da Bacalhoa, Azeitão, is attributed, as well as the ''Adoration of the Shepherds'' (in the National Museum of Azulejos in Lisbon). The ''Miracle of St. Roque'' (in the Church of S. Roque, Lisbon) is the first dated Portuguese ''azulejo'' composition (1584). It is the work of Francisco de Matos, probably the nephew and pupil of Marçal de Matos. Both drew their inspiration from
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass id ...
and Mannerist paintings and
engraving Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an i ...
s from Italy and Flanders. A fine collection of 16th-century azulejos (''azulejos Hispano-mouriscos'') can be found in the Museu da Rainha D. Leonor in Beja, Portugal (the former ''Convento da Conceição''). In the late 16th century, ''checkered'' azulejos were used as decoration for large surfaces, such as in churches and monasteries. Diagonally placed plain white tiles were surrounded by blue square ones and narrow border tiles. File:Niculoso Alcazar Seville.jpg, Chapel of the Alcázar of Seville (Spain) covered with tin-glazed tiles painted in 1504 by the
Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...
n Francesco Niculoso. File:Sevilla-4-9 (48040450686).jpg, Casa de Pilatos in Seville has around 150 different azulejo designs of the 1530s, one of the largest antique collections in the world File:Azulejo Loaysa panel ni.jpg, Panel of Hernando de Loaysa, around 1590, Palacio de Fabio Nelli, Valladolid, Spain. File:Valladolid convento santaisabel azulejo siglo XVI by lou.jpg, 16th-century azulejos in Convent of Santa Isabel, Valladolid File:TalaveraDeLaReina Azulejos.jpg, Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Prado, Talavera de la Reina, Spain. File:Patriarca taulells.jpg, Real Colegio Seminario del Corpus Christi,
Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...
, Spain. File:Mare de Déu com a emblema del braç eclesiàstic, sòcol ceràmic de la sala Nova del palau de la Generalitat Valenciana.JPG, Azulejos made by Hernando de Santiago and Juan de Víllalba in 1575 in Sala Nova, Palau de la Generalitat Valenciana, Valencia. File:AzulejoMonasterioToledo.JPG, Azulejo of the Santa Cruz Hospital in Toledo, Spain. File:Wall with azulejos - Palacio de la Condesa de Lebrija.JPG, Azulejos of the Palacio de la Condesa de Lebrija (ca. 1585), Seville File:Azulejo-Museum1.jpg, Altarpiece of Our Lady of Life, painted in 1580 by Marçal de Matos, National Museum of the Azulejo, Lisbon.


17th century

Shortly afterwards, these plain white tiles were replaced by polychrome tiles (''enxaquetado rico'') often giving a complex framework such as in the
Igreja de Santa Maria de Marvila Igreja de Santa Maria de Marvila is a church in Portugal. It is classified as a National Monument. This church is believed to have been rebuilt on the foundations of an old mosque in the Islamic medina of Santarém after the Christian Reconquista ...
in Santarém, Portugal with one of the most outstanding tile-based interior decorations in Portugal. When the diagonal tiles were replaced by a repetitive pattern of horizontal polychrome tiles, one could obtain a new design with different motifs, interlacing Mannerist drawings with representations of roses and camellias (sometimes roses and garlands). An inset votive usually depicts a scene from the life of
Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religi ...
or a saint. These carpet compositions (''azulejo de tapete''), as they were called, elaborately framed with friezes and borders, were produced in great numbers during the 17th century. The best examples are to be found in the Igreja do Salvador, Évora, Igreja de S. Quintino, Obral de Monte Agraço, Igreja de S. Vicente, Cuba (Portugal) and the university chapel in Coimbra. The use of ''azulejos'' for the decoration of antependia (front of an
altar An altar is a Table (furniture), table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of wo ...
), imitating precious altar cloths, is typical for Portugal. The panel may be in one piece, or composed of two or three sections. They were used in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Some antependia of the 17th century imitate oriental fabrics ( calico, chintz). The golden fringes of the altar cloth were imitated by yellow motifs on the painted border tiles. Excellent examples can be found in the
Hospital de Santa Marta Hospital de Santa Marta (, "Saint Martha's Hospital") is a public Central Hospital serving the Greater Lisbon area as part of the Central Lisbon University Hospital Centre (CHULC), a state-owned enterprise. Originally a Poor Clares nunnery, it ...
, Lisbon, or in the Convent of Santa Maria de Almoster and the
Convento de Santa Cruz do Buçaco Convento de Santa Cruz do Buçaco is a former Carmelite monastery in the Mata Nacional do Buçaco (Buçaco Forest) protected forest of the Serra do Buçaco, Portugal. It was constructed in 1628. It closed in 1834 following the suppression of male ...
. During the same period another motif in friezes was introduced: floral vases flanked by birds, dolphins or putti, the so-called ''albarradas''. They were probably inspired by Flemish paintings of flower vases, such as by Jan Brueghel the Elder. These were still free-standing in the 17th century, but they would be used in repetitive modules in the 18th century. Azulejos dating from 1642 are in the Basilica and Convent de San Francisco de Lima, Peru.) Another type of azulejo composition, called ''aves e ramagens'' ('birds and branches'), came into vogue between 1650 and 1680. They were influenced by the representations on printed textiles that were imported from India:
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
symbols, flowers, animals and birds. In the second half of the 17th century, the Spanish artist
Gabriel del Barco y Minusca In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek language, Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin language, Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic language, Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, transli ...
introduced into Portugal the blue-and-white tiles from Delft in the Netherlands. The workshops of Jan van Oort and Willem van der Kloet in
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
created large tile panels with historical scenes for their rich Portuguese clients, such as for the Palace of the Marqueses da Fronteira in Benfica, Lisbon. But when King Peter II stopped all imports of ''azulejos'' between 1687 and 1698, the workshop of Gabriel del Barco took over the production. The last major production from Holland was delivered in 1715. Soon large, home-made blue-and-white figurative tiles, designed by academically trained Portuguese artists, became the dominant fashion, superseding the former taste for repeated patterns and abstract decoration. Image:Beja26.jpg, Carpet-style decoration
Museu da Rainha D. Leonor; Beja, Portugal Image:Sagres07.jpg, Antependium decorated with azulejos
Church of Nossa Senhora da Graça; Sagres, Portugal Image:В саду Дворца Фронтейра (11609800903).jpg, Kings Gallery fountain, Palace of the Marquess of Fronteira, Lisbon, Portugal File:Lisbon Travel 2011 (5900363958).jpg, Palace of the Marquess of Fronteira, Lisbon. File:Santas Justa y Rufina.jpg, ''
Saints Justa and Rufina Saints Justa and Rufina (Ruffina) ( es, Santa Justa y Santa Rufina) are venerated as martyrs. They are said to have been martyred at Hispalis ( Seville) during the 3rd century. Only St. Justa (sometimes "Justus" in early manuscripts) is menti ...
'', ca. 1600, Museum of Fine Arts of Seville File:Santo Domingo Lima, Kacheln aus Sevilla.jpg, Detail of the azulejos (ca. 1606) at the
Basilica of Santo Domingo, Lima The Basilica and Maximus Convent of Nuestra Señora del Rosario, popularly known as the Convent of Santo Domingo (or Convent of the Holy Rosary), is a Catholic religious complex located in the city of Lima, Peru. It was created in the 1530s under ...
, Peru File:Capilla del Rosario 07.jpg, Azulejos inside the Chapel of the Rosario (1531-1690), Puebla City, Mexico


18th century

The late 17th and early 18th centuries became the 'Golden Age of the Azulejo', the so-called Cycle of the Masters (''Ciclo dos Mestres''). Mass production was started not just because of a greater internal demand, but also because of large orders came in from the Portuguese colony of Brazil. Large one-off orders were replaced by the less expensive use of repetitive tile patterns. Churches, monasteries, palaces and even houses were covered inside and outside with ''azulejos'', many with exuberant Baroque elements. The most prominent master-designers in these early years of the 18th century were:
António Pereira (artist) Antonio Pereira may refer to: *António Pereira (racewalker), Portuguese race walker *Antônio Pereira, Brazilian football referee *António Garcia Pereira, Portuguese lawyer and politician *António Pereira (wrestler), Portuguese wrestler who comp ...
, Manuel dos Santos, the workshop of António de Oliveira Bernardes and his son
Policarpo de Oliveira Bernardes Policarpo may refer to: People: * José Policarpo (1936-2014), Roman Catholic Cardinal, Patriarch of Lisbon *Policarpo Bonilla (1858–1926), President of Honduras (1894-1899) *Poli Díaz (born 1966), Spanish former professional boxer * Policarpo P ...
; the
Master PMP Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...
(only known by his monogram) and his collaborators Teotónio dos Santos and
Valentim de Almeida Valentim is both a Portuguese surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname *Evangelino Valentim (born 1984), Nigerian footballer *Valentim (footballer) (born 1977), full name Francisco de Assis Clarentino Valentim, Brazil ...
; Bartolomeu Antunes and his pupil
Nicolau de Freitas Nicolau is a Portuguese and Catalan given name, a variant of Nicholas. People known by this name include: *Nicolau Coelho, Portuguese explorer *Nicolau dos Reis Lobato, East-Timorese politician and national hero *Nicolau Tolentino de Almeida, the f ...
. As their production coincided with the reign of King João V (1706–1750), the style of this period is also called the Joanine style. During this same period appear the first 'invitation figures' (''figura de convite''), invented by the Master PMP and produced in the 18th and 19th centuries. These are cut-out panels of ''azulejos'' with life-size figures (footmen, halberdiers, noblemen or elegantly dressed ladies), usually placed in entrances of palaces (see Palácio da Mitra), patios and stair landings. Their purpose was to welcome visitors. They can only be found in Portugal. In the 1740s the taste of Portuguese society changed from the monumental narrative panels to smaller and more delicately executed panels in Rococo style. These panels depict gallant and pastoral themes as they occur in the works of the French painter Antoine Watteau. Fine examples are the façade and the gardens of the Palace of the Dukes de Mesquitela in Carnide (
Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...
) and the ' in the Queluz National Palace. The mass-produced tiles acquired a more stereotypic design with predominant polychrome irregular shell motifs. The reconstruction of Lisbon after the great earthquake of 1755 gave rise to a more utilitarian role for decoration with ''azulejos''. This bare and functional style would become known as the Pombaline style, named after the Marquis of Pombal, who was put in charge of rebuilding the country. Small devotional ''azulejo'' panels started to appear on buildings as protection against future disasters. In
Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...
, a large producer of Talavera—a Mexican maiolica, there are several instances of the use of azulejos on buildings and mansions. One particular mansion, the Casa de los Azulejos in
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley of ...
, was built in 1737 for the Count and Countess of El Valle de Orizaba. Ceramic making traditions were imported to Mexico in the early 16th century and have flourished. As a reaction, simpler and more delicate Neoclassical designs started to appear with more subdued colours. These themes were introduced in Portugal by the engravings of Robert and James Adams. The ''Real Fábrica de Louça do Rato'', with the master-designer
Sebastião Inácio de Almeida Sebastião is Portuguese for ''Sebastian''. This name may refer to: People * Sebastião (given name) Places * Sebastião Barros, a town in the state of Piauí, Brazil * Sebastião Laranjeiras, a city in the state of Bahia, Brazil * Sebastião Lea ...
and the painter
Francisco de Paula e Oliveira Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name '' Franciscus''. Nicknames In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed " Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Comunitatis'' (father o ...
, became in this period an important manufacturer of the characteristic so-called ''Rato''-tiles. Another important tile painter in this period was
Francisco Jorge da Costa Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name '' Franciscus''. Nicknames In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed " Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Comunitatis'' (father o ...
. With great Portuguese influence, the city of São Luís, in Maranhão, in Brazil, preserves the largest urban agglomeration of azulejos from the 18th and 19th centuries, throughout Latin America. In 1997, the Historic Center of São Luís was declared a World Heritage Site by
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...
. São Luís is also known as "Cidade dos Azulejos". File:Sintra L1190119 (25141013871).jpg, Azulejos of the walls of Sala dos Brasões (ca. 18th century), Sintra National Palace, Portugal Image:Palacio Queluz Corredor Mangas2.JPG, Azulejos in Rococo-style in the Palace of Queluz, Portugal. Image:Porto.Cathedral17.jpg, Albarrada, flower vase by Valentim de Almeida (between 1729 and 1731); Cathedral of Porto, Portugal. Image:Nazaré06.jpg, Azulejos by Willem van der Kloet (1708) in the transept of the Church of Nossa Senhora da Nazaré; Nazaré, Portugal. File:Cathédrale Santa Maria Maior de Lisbonne avant 1755.jpg, Azulejos of the
Lisbon Cathedral The Cathedral of Saint Mary Major ( pt, Santa Maria Maior de Lisboa or ''Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Mary Major''), often called Lisbon Cathedral or simply the Sé ('), is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Lisbon, Portugal. The oldest churc ...
, ca. 1755. Image:Óbidos - Varanda (5414515924).jpg, Azulejos vault in Óbidos, Portugal. Image:IgrejaMatrizCambra.jpg, Checkered azulejos on the façade of the Igreja Matriz de Cambra,
Vouzela Vouzela () is a municipality in the district Viseu in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 10,564, in an area of 193.69 km2. The present mayor is Rui Ladeira, elected by the Social Democratic Party. The municipal holiday is May 14. Parish ...
, Portugal File:Lisboa, Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, refeitório, azulejos (2).jpg, Azulejos (ca. 1785) of refrectory of Jerónimos Monastery, Lisbon File:Alcobaça - Mosteiro de Alcobaça 10 (22994623339).jpg, Azulejos (ca. 18th century) of the Alcobaça Monastery File:Igreja da Misericórdia de Tavira - Azulejos.jpg, Azulejos (ca. 1760) of
Igreja da Misericórdia "Igreja" ("Church") is a single by Brazilian rock band Titãs, released in 1986, part of their ''Cabeça Dinossauro'' album. Lyrics and composition According to songwriter and then bassist and vocalist Nando Reis, the song was written on the ac ...
, Tavira, Portugal File:Gandía (23980380357).jpg, Galería Dorada (c. early-18th century), Ducal Palace of Gandia, Gandia, Spain Image:Azulejos-bahia2.jpg, Convent of Saint-Francis, 1702, Salvador de Bahia,
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. File:Casa de Azulejos 3.jpg, Casa de los Azulejos palace, ca. 1737,
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley of ...
,
Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...
. File:Vista de la Fachada del Templo de San Francisco Acatepec 9.jpg, Azulejos of the facade made between 1650 and 1750 with Talavera pottery. Church of San Francisco Acatepec in San Andrés Cholula, Mexico.


19th century

In the first half of the 19th century, there was a stagnation in the production of decorative tiles, owing first to the incursion of the Napoleonic army and later to social and economic changes. When around 1840 immigrant Brazilians started an industrialized production in Porto, the Portuguese took over the Brazilian fashion of decorating the façades of their houses with ''azulejos''. While these factories produces high-relief tiles in one or two colours, the Lisbon factories started using another method: the
transfer-print Transfer printing is a method of decorating pottery or other materials using an engraved copper or steel plate from which a monochrome print on paper is taken which is then transferred by pressing onto the ceramic piece.John Fleming (art histori ...
method on blue-and-white or polychrome ''azulejos''. In the last decades of the 19th century, the Lisbon factories started to use another type of transfer-printing: using creamware blanks. While these industrialized methods produced simple, stylized designs, the art of hand-painting tiles was not dead, as applied by Manuel Joaquim de Jesus and especially Luís Ferreira. Luis Ferreira was the director of the Lisbon factory Viúva Lamego and covered the whole façade of this factory with allegorical scenes. He produced panels, known as ''Ferreira das Tabuletas'', with flower vases, trees, and allegorical figures, applying the trompe-l'œil technique. These hand-painted panels are fine examples of the eclectic Romantic culture of the late 19th century. Mid-19th century, in England, in addition to encaustic tiles and mosaics, the Mintons factory also produced azulejos. Image:PortoTrainStation2.jpg, Azulejo panel in the São Bento railway station in Porto, Portugal. Image:Parede da Estação de São Bento.jpg, Interior of the train station, Porto, Portugal Image:Fachada de azulejos - Lisboa.jpg, Façade of the Casa do Ferreira das Tabuletas in
Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...
. Image:AzulejoPalácioHoteldoBuçaco2.jpg, Azulejos at Buçaco Palace, in
Mealhada Mealhada () is a city and a municipality located in Aveiro District in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 20,428, in an area of 110.66 km2. It had 17,043 eligible voters (2006). The city of Mealhada itself has a population of 4,522.
, Portugal. Image:Aveiro Azulejo.jpg, Façade of a grand house in Aveiro, Portugal. File:Talavera de la Reina - Jardines del Prado 22.jpg, Jardines del Prado garden in Talavera de la Reina, Spain. Built in 1864. File:FacadeUriartePuebla.JPG, Uriarte Talavera, ca. 1824,
Puebla Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...
, Mexico File:Intérieur_de_la_cathédrale_de_São_Tomé_(10).jpg, Inside the Grace Cathedral, São Tomé File:Streets_of_Macau_(6993777227).jpg, Portuguese Azulejos in
Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
File:A ship with port arriving in Newfoundland in 1892 (27561193516).jpg, Portuguese Azulejo depicting the arrival of a ship with
Port wine Port wine (also known as vinho do Porto, , or simply port) is a Portuguese fortified wine produced in the Douro Valley of northern Portugal. It is typically a sweet red wine, often served with dessert, although it also comes in dry, sem ...
cargo in St. John's, Canada, 1892


20th century

At the start of the 20th century,
Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Moder ...
azulejos started to appear from artists such as Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, Júlio César da Silva and José António Jorge Pinto. In 1885 Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro founded a
ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelai ...
s factory in Caldas da Rainha, where he created many of the pottery designs for which this city is known. In this factory he has his own a museum São Rafael devoted to his fantastically imaginative work, especially the decorative plates and his satirical stone figures, such as the ''Zé Povinho'' (a representation of the worrying common man). Around the 1930s,
Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unit ...
-azulejos made their appearance with their principal artist António Costa. The monumental decorations, consisting of 20,000 azulejos, in the vestibule of the São Bento railway station in Porto, created by
Jorge Colaço Jorge Colaço (26 February 1868 - 23 August 1942) was a Portuguese painter specially known for his works as tile (''azulejo'') painter. Jorge Colaço was born in Tangier, Morocco, the son of a Portuguese diplomat. He studied art in Lisbon, Madrid ...
, show in its historical themes the narrative style of the romantic 'picture-postcard'. This one of the most notable creations with ''azulejos'' of the 20th century. The façades of the churches of Santo Ildefonso and Congregados equally attest to the artistic mastery of Jorge Colaço. Other artists from this period include
Mário Branco Mario is the Italian, French, Croatian, Spanish, Portuguese, Bulgarian, Greek, and English form of the Latin Roman name Marius. In Croatia, the name Mario was among the most common masculine given names in the decades between 1970 and 1999, and ...
and
Silvestre Silvestri Silvestre is a Spanish and Portuguese given name or surname, or a French surname. Notable people with the name include: Surname * Cindy Silvestre (born 1993), a French kickboxer *Franck Silvestre (born 1967), a retired French footballer * Israe ...
, who decorated in 1912 the lateral façade of the Carmo Church, and
Eduardo Leite Eduardo Figueiredo Cavalheiro Leite (born 10 March 1985) is a Brazilian politician and governor of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. During the state's 2018 election, he won with 53.62% of the vote. Leite was elected governor at 33 years old, be ...
for his work on the Almas Chapel (imitating the style of the 18th century), both in Porto. 20th-century artists include Jorge Barradas, Carlos Botelho,
Jorge Martins Jorge Manuel Martins da Silva (born 12 August 1954), known as Martins, is a retired Portuguese footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Football career Martins was born in Alhos Vedros, Moita, Setúbal District. During his professional caree ...
,
Sá Nogueira Rolando Sá Nogueira, (Lisbon, May 19, 1921 – November 18, 2002), was one of the most important painters of his generation; according to José Augusto França, he belongs to the third wave of 20th Century modern Portuguese painters Biography / ...
, Menez and Paula Rego. Maria Keil designed the large abstract panels in the initial nineteen stations of the Lisbon Underground (between 1957 and 1972). Through these works she became a driving force in the revival and the updating of the art of the ''azulejo'', which had gone in some decline. Her decorations of the station ''Intendente'' is considered a masterpiece of contemporary tile art. The Museu Nacional do Azulejo in Lisbon houses the largest collection of Portuguese tiles in the world. File:Goelbench06390140.JPG, Park Güell, Barcelona, of 1914. File:Patos 19.jpg, One of the several tiled benches of the Plaza 25 de Julio built in 1917,
Santa Cruz de Tenerife Santa Cruz de Tenerife, commonly abbreviated as Santa Cruz (), is a city, the capital of the island of Tenerife, Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and capital of the Canary Islands. Santa Cruz has a population of 206,593 (2013) within its admi ...
, Canary Islands File:Font de Santa Anna, detall.jpg, Azulejos made in 1918 in Font de Santa Anna, Barcelona Image:Azulejos Parque Eduardo VII-2.jpg, Panel by Jorge Colaço (circa 1922) depicting an episode from the battle of Aljubarrota (1385) between the Portuguese and Castilian armies,
Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...
,
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal: :* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...
. File:ABC BLANCO Y NEGRO (2).jpg, ABC Serrano Building built by Aníbal González in 1926, Madrid File:PlazaEspanaBancos.jpg,
Plaza de España, Seville The Plaza de España ("Spain Square", in English) is a plaza in the Parque de María Luisa ('' Maria Luisa Park''), in Seville, Spain. It was built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. It is a landmark example of Regionalism Ar ...
, of 1928. File:Capela das Almas (Porto).jpg, Capela de Santa Catarina, Porto; façade was covered in 1929. File:Panel, Ermera, Timor-Leste - panoramio.jpg, Portuguese Azulejos depicting the image of
Our Lady of Fátima Our Lady of Fátima ( pt, Nossa Senhora de Fátima, ); formally known as Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Fátima) is a Catholic title of Mary, mother of Jesus, based on the Marian apparitions reported in 1917 by three shepherd children at the Cov ...
, Ermera,
East Timor East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-we ...
. Image:Covilha-CCBY.jpg, Santa Maria Church in Covilhã; façade was covered in the 1940s. Image:Art Noveau.jpg, Art Nouveau azulejos on a shop in Porto. Image:Azulejo Moderno - Iglesia de San Juan Bautista de Chiva - Valencia.jpg, Iglesia de San Juan Bautista de Chiva, Valencia. Image:Adding some blue to my collection azulejos.jpg, Portuguese Azulejos, at the Instituto Menezes Bragança, in the former Portuguese colony in
India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
, Goa. File:Fonteparcduportugal.JPG, Azulejos in Parc du Portugal, made in 1956, Little Portugal,
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
, Canada File:Embaixada_de_Portugal_em_Bissau_03.jpg, Portuguese Azulejos in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau Image:Recreation_Park_bandshell.jpg, Californian Azulejos, at one of the Long Beach Historic Landmarks, Recreation Park bandshell, US Image:Lady of Fatima tiles.jpg, Luso-American Azulejos depicts an image of
Our Lady of Fátima Our Lady of Fátima ( pt, Nossa Senhora de Fátima, ); formally known as Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Fátima) is a Catholic title of Mary, mother of Jesus, based on the Marian apparitions reported in 1917 by three shepherd children at the Cov ...
, in The Ironbound, Newark, United States Image:Porto40.JPG, 21st-century azulejos ( Porto)


Lisbon Metro

Azulejo tiles are present in almost every station in the Lisbon Metro system. Initially, painter Maria Keil (1914–2012), wife of metro system architect Francisco Keil do Amaral (1910–1975) created the works for the Metro stations. A new expansion, completed in 1988, featured works by more contemporary Portuguese artists: Rolando de
Sá Nogueira Rolando Sá Nogueira, (Lisbon, May 19, 1921 – November 18, 2002), was one of the most important painters of his generation; according to José Augusto França, he belongs to the third wave of 20th Century modern Portuguese painters Biography / ...
in Laranjeiras, Júlio Pomar in Alto dos Moinhos, Manuel Cargaleiro in Colégio Militar/Luz, and
Maria Helena Vieira da Silva Maria Helena Vieira da Silva (13 June 1908 – 6 March 1992) was a Portuguese abstract painter. She was considered a leading member of the European abstract expressionism movement known as Art Informel. Her works feature complex interiors and c ...
in
Cidade Universitária Cidade Universitária is a neighborhood in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on the artificial island An artificial island is an island that has been constructed by people rather than formed by natural means. Artificial islands may ...
. Following on from this, many artists have been commissioned to decorate new and refurbished stations.


Pieces


Traditions

*
Hispano-Moresque ware Hispano-Moresque ware is a style of initially Islamic pottery created in Al-Andalus, which continued to be produced under Christian rule in styles blending Islamic and European elements. It was the most elaborate and luxurious pottery being pr ...
(Spanish) * Talavera de la Reina pottery (Spanish) *Manises pottery (Spanish) *Paterna pottery (Spanish) * Talavera pottery (Mexican) * Uriarte Talavera (Mexican) *El Puente del Arzobispo pottery (Spanish)


State of protection

Tiles are vulnerable to vandalism, neglect and theft due to their prevalence and relative ease of access in historic and often decaying buildings across Portugal. In Lisbon, tiles can sometimes be found for sale in street fairs and the black market, despite recent efforts to raise awareness among buyers, that are mainly foreign tourists. Since 2013 it is forbidden to demolish buildings with tile-covered façades. The highest number of thefts occurs in the capital, Lisbon, and authorities estimate that 25% of artistic tiles in that city was lost between 1980 and 2000. The main azulejo protection group in Portugal, SOS Azulejo, created in 2007 and working as a dependency of Polícia Judiciária, has identified the limitation and control of the sale of ancient tiles in those markets as their main goal. The city of Lisbon has created the 'Banco do Azulejo' (''tile bank''), which collects and stores around 30 thousand tiles from demolished or condemned buildings and from donations. Similar projects exist in the cities of Aveiro, Porto and Ovar. In August 2017, a new law was put in place in order to prevent both the demolition of tile-covered buildings and renovation work that includes the removal of tiles, even if they affect only the building's interior.


See also

* National Museum of the Azulejo * Portuguese architecture * Spanish architecture * Zellige


References


Sources

* Morales, Alfredo J. – ''Francisco Niculoso Pisano'', Arte Hispalense, Diputación de Sevilla, 1977, 1991 * dos Santos Simões, J. M. – ''Azulejaria em Portugal nos séculos XV e XVI : introdução geral'', Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, 2nd ed., Lisbon, 1990 (in Portuguese) * Costa, Vania �
Azulejo
Accessible Travel Magazine, September 2006 * Meco, José – ''O Azulejo em Portugal'', Alfa, Lisbon, 1988 (in Portuguese) * Castel-Branco Pereira, João – ''Portuguese tiles from the National Museum of Azulejo'', Lisbon, 1995, * Turner, J. – ''Tile – History and Uses, Portugal'' in Grove Dictionary of Art, MacMillan, 1996, * ''The Rough Guide to Portugal'' – 11th edition March 2005 – * Rentes de Carvalho J. – ''Portugal, um guia para amigos'' – in Dutch translation: ''Portugal – De Arbeiderspers'', Amsterdam, 9th ed., August 1999 * Mucznik, Sonia. �
''The Azulejos of Lisbon''
* Sabo, Rioleta; Falcato, Jorge. N. and photographs by Nicolas Lemonnier – ''Portuguese Decorative Tiles'', New York, London and Paris, 1998; * Barros Veloso, A. J.; Almasqué, Isabel – ''Portuguese Tiles and Art Nouveau / O Azulejo Portugués ea Arte Nova'', Edições Inapa, Portugal, 2000;


External links



* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20131108091534/http://www.museudoazulejo.pt/en-GB/default.aspx National Azulejo Museum, Portugal
An illustrated history of the azulejo

The over-glaze decoration technique


(in Portuguese) {{Authority control Wallcoverings Types of pottery decoration Tiling Portuguese traditions