This art form, which would take root in the country due to the influence of the Moorish conquests, was introduced in Portugal by King Manuel I and would change its urban landscape forever.
Presently considered to be one of the most original outputs of Portuguese culture, the azulejo has witnessed its people’s attraction to cultural exchange and developed into a truly unique ornamental and architectural element.
Resembling an extensive illustrated book spanning over five centuries, the Portuguese azulejo conveys the history, mentality and tastes of each era, featuring historical, religious, mythological and literary scenes amidst walls, floors, murals and ceilings.
From the golden age of the azulejo known as the ‘Masters’ Cycle’, a distant period during which national production was developed in Portuguese workshops and factories, to the modern day, this centuries-old art form has shown an extraordinary ability to adapt and reinvent itself. Today, it remains an important medium for master drawers and painters, and for the artistic expression of contemporary languages.
Used for covering interior or exterior surfaces, and also as a decorative and artistic element, this urban and increasingly cosmopolitan phenomenon has its greatest expression in Lisbon, where besides the city’s light, it will forever reflect the magnificent repertoire of Portuguese imagery.
Getting acquainted with Lisbon without being swept away by the azulejos decorating so many historic buildings, churches, houses and monuments, is a challenging task due to the sheer beauty that dominates its urban landscapes. The azulejos arrived from distant Moorish lands but came to stay.
The prominence of the azulejo increased significantly, both in terms of its application and manufacturing, after King Manuel I visited Spain in 1498. But it was during the reign of King João V that it took on a major role in the country’s artistic expression, being used to decorate walls, gardens, palaces, churches and convents.
From the second half of the XVI century, the arrival of Flemish ceramists in Lisbon would kick-start production in Portugal and the development of its own identity over many centuries. In addition to the Spanish influence, the blue used on porcelain came from China, and the refinement of the materials originated from the Netherlands. The development of ceramics in Italy and the possibility of painting directly on the azulejo using the majolica technique, allowed an increase in the number of compositions with various figurations, representing historical or decorative moments.
It is worth mentioning that the arrival of the azulejo in Portugal allowed European culture to greatly influence its architecture. On the other hand, the diversity of peoples in Portugal's overseas empire brought variety to its expression, providing originality and distinction.
Pottery workshops began to emerge, aiming to incorporate various influences coming from abroad, without ever neglecting the role that other art forms, especially ceramics and architecture, played in this new productive articulation fed by the many commissions requested by the nobility and clergy. The inspiration comes from the decorative arts, textiles, jewellery, engravings, and the Portuguese travels to the east.
The XVI century extended the opportunity for both Portugal and Spain to present their own azulejos. During the transition from Renaissance to Mannerism, a more harmonised aesthetic and a greater prevalence of the figurative arises. With the increasing abandonment of Moorish influences comes a willingness to represent mythology and religion, through allegories and more or less imaginary epics. Being gradually more and more valued and appreciated, the azulejo was eventually equated to mural painting, which was highly celebrated at the time, both in terms of its soft tones and ornamental variety. Two azulejo masters from this period included Marçal de Matos – whose altarpiece in the Chapel of Our Lady of Life at the Church of Santo André is today part of the estate on display at the Azulejo Museum – and Francisco de Matos – author of the amazing composition of grotesques in the Chapel of São Roque, at the Church of São Roque.
Between the end of the XVI and the beginning of the XVII century, chequered compositions were created and walls were decorated with meshes of alternated plain coloured azulejos. Although azulejos were more affordable, their application was complex and slow, which made the process expensive and gradually led to their abandonment. Then came the patterned azulejo, a new aesthetic expression based on the repetition of geometric patterns, produced in large quantities and easily installed, which was widely used on altar frontals, one of its most original applications.
For centuries, the ruling classes dictated and commissioned the most appropriate themes for decorating buildings. The potters were solely responsible for fulfilling requests, copying models, and adapting trends and styles. However, in the XVII century, azulejo painters were recognized as artists and began signing their pieces. The forerunner of this movement was the Spanish immigrant Gabriel del Barco, who would introduce a taste for more exuberant decorative motifs and a painting aesthetic freed from the rigorous outlines of drawing.
These innovations paved the way for other artists and prompted the beginning of the acclaimed ‘Masters’ Cycle’, the golden period of the Portuguese azulejo which featured a surge of masters within the city of Lisbon, including António de Oliveira Bernardes, his son Policarpo de Oliveira Bernardes, Manuel dos Santos and P.M.P., who remained anonymous until his death.
In the XVIII century, there was an unprecedented increase in azulejo manufacturing, also due to the arrival of large orders from Brazil. During a period referred to as an extension of the ‘Masters' Cycle’, painters such as Valentim de Almeida, Nicolau de Freitas or Teotónio dos Santos were definitely the most relevant.
Throughout the XIX century, the lower cost patterned azulejo covered thousands of façades. After gaining visibility, and in a close tie with architecture, it spread beyond the palaces and churches to decorate the façades of the city’s buildings. The main azulejo production centres were concentrated in Lisbon, with the Viúva Lamego, Sacavém, Constância and Roseira factories being the largest.
In the 20th century, Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro and Jorge Barradas were noteworthy artists, impelling the renewal of ceramic and azulejo art alongside Júlio Resende, Júlio Pomar, Sá Nogueira, Carlos Botelho, João Abel Manta and Eduardo Nery, among many others. Until the early 1970s, Maria Keil was one of the few pioneers of the Public Art movement, starting what would become a vast azulejo project spread across Lisbon's first metro stations. She was joined by Almada Negreiros, Vieira da Silva and Arpad Szenes, Querubim Lapa, Júlio Pomar, Júlio Resende and cartoonist António Antunes, among many other Portuguese and international artists who left their mark on the history of Lisbon’s public transport.
The azulejo narrates the history and tells the stories of a people, having distinguished itself for its role in artistic creation, but also the longevity of its use, its eccentric application on large scale surfaces and the originality of how it was perceived and applied over the centuries. Having been produced in Portugal for over 500 years, it covers façades and interior spaces all over the city, being admired by all those who visit.
Mudejar art is an artistic style that incorporates Hispanic-Muslim style influences, elements or materials. The mudejar tile technique was developed and implemented by the Moors in the Iberian Peninsula. This technique requires homogeneous and stable clay which, after its first firing, is covered with the liquid glazes its surface. The different chromatic tones are obtained from metal oxides: cobalt (blue), copper (green), manganese (brown, black), iron (yellow) and tin (white). For the second firing, the slabs are placed horizontally in the oven resting on small ceramic tripods called kiln stilts. These pieces leave three small dot marks on the final product, which are nowadays important to evaluate a piece’s authenticity.
Used for ceramic coatings, the alicatado technique pieces together glazed ceramic fragments of various sizes and shapes, with the help of a tile cutter. Each piece is monochromatic and part of a more or less complex set of colours, similar to mosaic work. This technique was in vogue during the XVI and XVII centuries, but was eventually replaced by more recent ones, due to its time-consuming process.
Technique from the late XV and early XVI centuries, which consists of grooving decorative motifs on wet clay slabs with rope soaked in linseed oil and manganese oxide, avoiding the subsequent mixing of enamels during the painting phase and second firing.
Technique from the dry rope period which separates colours by raising edges (small ridges) on the piece. These edges are created by pressing the negative of the pattern (a wood or metal mould) into the clay when it is still soft. Although the largest production centres were located in its neighbouring country, this technique was also used in Portugal, where the embossed variant (embossed tile) with grape leaf patterns was developed. There are also rare examples of the ‘lustre’ azulejo, where a finishing metallic reflection is achieved by placing a silver and bronze alloy on the glaze, which is then fired a third time at a low temperature. This is not a very usual procedure with this type of tile.
Technique originating from Italy and introduced in the Iberian Peninsula in the mid XVI century. The majolica technique came to replace painting on previously fired pieces, which were then glazed. It was revolutionary because after the first firing a thick liquid (opaque white) made of tin enamel (tin, lead oxide, quartz-rich sand, salt and soda) is placed on the slab, which then glazes during the second firing (opaque glass). The tin oxide gives the surface (glazed) a translucent white colour, and soluble metal oxide pigments can then be directly applied in five colour scales: cobalt blue, bronze green, manganese brown, antimony yellow and iron red (which rarely appears in the first exemplars due to its difficult application). The pigments are immediately absorbed and can be subsequently corrected. The azulejo is then placed in the kiln again, revealing the respective colours that were used, but only after it has been fired.
Semi-industrial techniques used from the XIX century onwards, such as stamping or decal printing.
Painting the azulejo using an airbrush (paint spraying gun) with zinc stencils delimiting the areas to be painted. The Sacavém Factory, in Lisbon, used this technique a lot during the Art Deco period.
Technique in which the decorative elements are scratched into the glaze with a blade until the base of the azulejo appears. The grooves that result from this process can be filled with bitumen or lime of any desired colour.
Application of paint using a sponge or brush, with a result that resembles a (rough) stone surface. Used from the XVIII century onwards, and mostly applied on skirting and flights of stairs.
Decoration of glazed surfaces with a brush and stamp, using a metal piece from which the decorative motif is cut out.
Decoration of glazed surfaces using a decal or decalcomania technique.
Painting on glaze which is then fired at temperatures above 1200°C.
Painting with colour on the base or glaze of the tile fired at a moderate temperature.
Independent decorative motif (XVII century), sometimes repeated (XVIII century), consisting of flower arrangements in jars, baskets, vases, or bowls, and sided by other figurative elements (birds, children or dolphins). When repeated, for example along a half wall azulejo panel, other elements (architectural or vegetable) may be used in between them.
Small sized azulejo panel, or single tile, with allegorical decoration representing the souls in purgatory. The base may display the initials P.N. - ‘Padre Nosso’ (Our Father), or A.V. (Ave Maria).
Male figures widely used in classic antiquity as a replacement for column shafts. Often used as a decorative motif on azulejo panels during the XVII and XVIII centuries.
Group of azulejos forming a chequered geometric pattern using alternated elements in different colours. Also used in Portugal from the XVI century to the mid XVII century.
Each azulejo represents an isolated element (flower, animal, etc, or even a description of more complex scenes). In Portugal, during the XVIII century, the type including a simple figure in cobalt blue, with decorative elements on each of the four corners aimed at creating visual harmony between the various azulejos, was the most widespread. Although mostly installed in kitchens or on staircase walls, they were also found in religious architecture and often used to illustrate various popular themes during the Estado Novo, in the XX century. The most complex elements were featured on Dutch azulejos.
Azulejos in groups of 2x2 up to 12x12, which make up a specific composition and, after repeatedly applied, form a pattern (i.e. carpet azulejos).
Large group of tiles used on walls forming a polychromatic pattern, obtained by multiplying certain models. These can be edged with friezes, bars or moulding, and as a whole present a carpet-like appearance.
A small column used as an architectural element on balustrades. Adopted as a decorative motif on XVIII century azulejos in order to create special optical effects.
Horizontal and vertical edging (i.e. on panels) composed by two or more lines of adjacent azulejos with varied decorative motifs. Despite having the same purpose, moulding only uses a single line of azulejos. A belt is made of rectangular halves of azulejo and may or may not be used as edging on a panel.
Decorative motif with its apogee in the Baroque period, used around an image or scene to give it prominence. It can be shaped like a scroll or shield with rolled corners or vegetable motifs as moulding.
Typical of the XVIII and XIX centuries, this figure represents a person (servant, dame, warrior, among others), in proper attire, positioned at the entrances of noble houses (atrium, landing, etc.) with a welcoming gesture, as if greeting the arriving guests. A symbol of aristocratic protocol, power and wealth. Produced in real size, cut out and generally rising from a silhar or half wall panel.
Descriptive panels representing a certain historic, religious, mythological or day-to-day event or scene.
A lengthwise wall panel which starts at floor level and rises about 10 to 12 tiles in height.
Small single coloured pieces used, for example, as part of alicatado compositions.
Name given to tiles which have only been fired once, or in other words, haven’t yet been glazed.
Small support stilts which allow space optimization inside the kiln by making it possible to stack the azulejos.
Side of the azulejo opposite to the glazing, which is applied directly on the intended surface.
PT
ES
FR
DE
IT