Azulejo
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(, ; from the
Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
) is a form of Portuguese and Spanish painted tin-glazed
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, porcela ...
tilework. ''Azulejos'' are found on the interior and exterior of churches,
palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...
s, ordinary houses, schools, and nowadays, restaurants, bars and even
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s or subway stations. 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 Portuguese and Spanish colonies in North America, South America, the
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, Goa, Lusophone Africa,
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, and
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. ''Azulejos'' constitute a major aspect of Portuguese architecture and Spanish architecture to this day and are fixtures of buildings across Portugal, Spain and their former territories. Many ''azulejos'' chronicle major historical and cultural aspects of both Portuguese and Spanish history.


Etymology

The word ''azulejo'' (as well as the Ligurian ''laggion'') is derived from the
Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
(), zellij meaning "polished stone" because the original idea was to imitate the Byzantine and Roman mosaics.


History


13th to 15th centuries

The Spanish city of
Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...
became the major centre of the Hispano-Moresque tile industry. The earliest ''azulejos'' in the 13th century were panels of tile-mosaic known as ''alicatados'' (from ), known as '' zellij'' in
Islamic architecture Islamic architecture comprises the architectural styles of buildings associated with Islam. It encompasses both Secularity, secular and religious styles from the early history of Islam to the present day. The Muslim world, Islamic world encompasse ...
. 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. This tradition was continued for a time in
Mudéjar architecture Mudéjar were Muslims who remained in Iberia in the Late Middle Ages, late medieval period following the Reconquista, Christian reconquest. It is also a term for Mudéjar art, which was greatly influenced by Islamic art, but produced typically b ...
in Spain (e.g. in the 14th-century sections of the Alcázar of Seville), and has been perpetuated to this day in
Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
. When former Moorish-controlled territories came under Spanish rule in Spain, new techniques of tilemaking developed from the older Andalusi traditions. As wealthy Spaniards favoured the Mudéjar style to decorate their residences, the demand for mosaic tilework in this style increased beyond what tilemakers could produce, requiring them to consider new methods. Towards the late 15th and early 16th centuries, Seville became an important production center for a type of tile known as ''cuenca'' ("hollow") or ''arista'' ("ridge"). In this technique, motifs were formed by pressing a metal or wooden mould over the unbaked tile, leaving a motif delineated by thin ridges of clay that prevented the different colours in between from bleeding into each other during baking. This was similar to the older '' cuerda seca'' technique but more efficient for mass production. The motifs on these tiles imitated earlier Islamic and Mudéjar designs from the ''zellij'' mosaic tradition or blended them with contemporary European influences such as Gothic or Italian
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
. Fine examples of these tiles can be found in the early 16th-century decoration of the Casa de Pilatos in Seville. This type of tile was produced well into the 17th century and was widely exported from Spain to other European countries and to the Spanish colonies in the
Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...
. The same 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'' ('fear of empty spaces') and covered the walls completely with ''azulejos''. File:Cuarto Real de Santo Domingo, Granada. Elementos decorativos.jpg, (Moorish) ''Alicatado'' (ca. 13th century) in the Cuarto Real de Santo Domingo, Granada File:Alhambra-p3-wall.jpg, (Moorish) ''Alicatado'' in the Alhambra (14th century), Granada File:Capilla Mudéjar de San Bartolomé in der Calle Averroes, Córdoba - panoramio.jpg, (Christian) Capilla de San Bartolomé (ca. 1410), Córdoba File:Section of a tile floor with coat of arms.jpg, (Christian) ''Alfardones'', ca. 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 The Alcázar of Segovia is a medieval castle located in the city of Segovia, in Castile and León, Spain. It has existed since at least the 12th century, and is one of the most renowned medieval castles globally and one of the most visited land ...


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 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 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 Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
(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 ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
and Mannerist paintings and
engraving Engraving is the practice of incising a design on a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a Burin (engraving), burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or Glass engraving, glass ar ...
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 ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) 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 the Leaning Tow ...
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 Valladolid ( ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and ''de facto'' capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the pr ...
, 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 ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
, 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. File:Panel of 4 cuenca tiles MET sf33 46.jpg, ''Cuenca'' tile with traditional geometric motif, at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
, from 16th-century Spain File:Casa de Pilatos 13.jpg, ''Cuenca'' tile, with newer motifs, in the Casa de Pilatos in Seville (16th century)


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 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 or a saint. These carpet compositions (''azulejo de tapete''), as they were called, elaborately framed with
frieze In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...
s 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 Coimbra (, also , , or ), officially the City of Coimbra (), is a city and a concelho, municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2021 census was 140,796, in an area of . The fourth-largest agglomerated urban area in Po ...
. The use of ''azulejos'' for the decoration of antependia (front of an
altar An altar is a 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 worship. They are use ...
), 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, Lisbon, or in the Convent of Santa Maria de Almoster and the Convento de Santa Cruz do Buçaco. During the same period another motif in
frieze In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...
s 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 (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
symbols, flowers, animals and birds. In the second half of the 17th century, the Spanish artist Gabriel del Barco y Minusca 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 ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
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'', 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, Peru File:Capilla del Rosario 07.jpg, Azulejos inside the Chapel of the Rosario (1531-1690), Puebla City, Mexico File:PBb057-Krypta i krużganki Koscioła Św Franciszka.jpg, Azulejos (dating to 1642) in the Basilica of San Francisco, Lima, Peru.


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 The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
elements. The most prominent master-designers in these early years of the 18th century were: António Pereira (artist), Manuel dos Santos, the workshop of António de Oliveira Bernardes and his son Policarpo de Oliveira Bernardes; the Master PMP (only known by his monogram) and his collaborators Teotónio dos Santos and Valentim de Almeida; Bartolomeu Antunes and his pupil Nicolau de Freitas. 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 Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...
style. These panels depict gallant and pastoral themes as they occur in the works of the French painter
Antoine Watteau Jean-Antoine Watteau (, , ; baptised 10 October 1684died 18 July 1721) Alsavailablevia Oxford Art Online (subscription needed). was a French Painting, painter and Drawing, draughtsman whose brief career spurred the revival of interest in colour ...
. Fine examples are the façade and the gardens of the Palace of the Dukes de Mesquitela in Carnide (
Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
) 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, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
, 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 is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
, 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 and the painter Francisco de Paula e Oliveira, 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. With great Portuguese influence, the city of São Luís, in
Maranhão Maranhão () is a States of Brazil, state in Brazil. Located in the country's Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region, it has a population of about 7 million and an area of and it is divided into 217 municipalities. Clockwise from north, it ...
, 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 World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
by
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
. 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, 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, 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, Tavira, Portugal File:Gandía (23980380357).jpg, Galería Dorada (c. early-18th century), Ducal Palace of Gandia,
Gandia Gandia (, ) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Valencian Community, eastern Spain on the Mediterranean. Gandia is located on the Costa de Valencia, south of Valencia, Spain, Valencia and north of Alicante. Vehicles can ...
, Spain Image:Azulejos-bahia2.jpg, Convent of Saint-Francis, 1702,
Salvador de Bahia Salvador () is a Municipalities of Brazil, Brazilian municipality and capital city of the Federative units of Brazil, state of Bahia. Situated in the Zona da Mata in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of Brazil, Salvador is recognize ...
,
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
. File:Casa de Azulejos 3.jpg, Casa de los Azulejos palace, ca. 1737,
Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
,
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
. 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 Artisanal Talavera of Puebla and Tlaxcala is a Mexican pottery tradition with heritage from the Talavera de la Reina pottery of Spain. In 2019, both traditions were included in UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of ...
. Church of San Francisco Acatepec in San Andrés Cholula, Mexico. File:Terreiro do Paço Lisboa.jpg, Large panel showing the Terreiro do Paço and Lisbon before the 1755 earthquake. ca. 18th century. National Museum of the Azulejo,
Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
File:Palácio_do_Raio_4.jpg, Palácio do Raio in Braga, Portugal


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 Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...
, 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 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. File:Fachada de azulejos - Lisboa.jpg, Casa do Ferreira das Tabuletas, in Rua da Trindade,
Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
, building built between 1849 and 1865 with its respective '' trompe-l'œil'' azulejos in the facade. Image:AzulejoPalácioHoteldoBuçaco2.jpg, Azulejos at Buçaco Palace, in Mealhada, 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, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Puebla, is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its capital is Puebla City. Part of east-centr ...
, Mexico File:Streets_of_Macau_(6993777227).jpg, Portuguese Azulejos in
Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...
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 (, ; ), or simply port, is a Portuguese wine, Portuguese fortified wine produced in the Douro, Douro Valley of Norte, Portugal, northern Portugal. It is typically a sweetness of wine, sweet red wine, often served with dessert wine, ...
cargo in St. John's, Canada, 1892


20th century

At the start of the 20th century,
Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...
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, porcela ...
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 (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...
-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, 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 and Silvestre Silvestri, who decorated in 1912 the lateral façade of the Carmo Church, and Eduardo Leite 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, Sá Nogueira, 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:Intérieur_de_la_cathédrale_de_São_Tomé_(10).jpg, Inside the Grace Cathedral, São Tomé 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, 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 ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
,
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
. File:ABC BLANCO Y NEGRO (2).jpg, ABC Serrano Building built by Aníbal González in 1926, Madrid File:PlazaEspanaBancos.jpg, Plaza de España, Seville, 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, Ermera,
East Timor Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...
. 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:Parede da Estação de São Bento.jpg, Interior of the São Bento railway station,
Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...
, Portugal, around twenty thousand tiles (551 square meters) installed in the building were created in the 1930s by the painter Jorge Colaço. 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, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, Goa. File:Fonteparcduportugal.JPG, Azulejos in Parc du Portugal, founded in 1953, Little Portugal,
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
, Canada File:Embaixada_de_Portugal_em_Bissau_03.jpg, Portuguese Azulejos in
Bissau Bissau () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Guinea-Bissau. it had a population of 492,004. Bissau is located on the Geba River estuary, off the Atlantic Ocean, and is Guinea-Bissau's largest city, major port, its administr ...
, 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, in The Ironbound, Newark, United States File:Ceràmica de Manises (Rajola de València). Espai públic d'Alginet.jpg, Manises tile, in Alginet Image:Porto40.JPG, 21st-century azulejos (
Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...
)


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 in Laranjeiras, Júlio Pomar in Alto dos Moinhos, Manuel Cargaleiro in Colégio Militar/Luz, and Maria Helena Vieira da Silva in Cidade Universitária. Following on from this, many artists have been commissioned to decorate new and refurbished stations.


Pieces


Traditions

* Hispano-Moresque ware (Spanish) * Talavera de la Reina pottery (Spanish) * Manises pottery (Spanish) *Paterna pottery (Spanish) *
Talavera pottery Artisanal Talavera of Puebla and Tlaxcala is a Mexican pottery tradition with heritage from the Talavera de la Reina pottery of Spain. In 2019, both traditions were included in UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of ...
(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 A black market is a Secrecy, clandestine Market (economics), market or series of transactions that has some aspect of illegality, or is not compliant with an institutional set of rules. If the rule defines the set of goods and services who ...
, despite efforts to raise awareness among buyers, many of whom are foreign tourists. Since 2013, it is illegal to demolish buildings in Portugal with tile-covered façades. The highest number of thefts occurs in 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

* * Portuguese architecture * Portuguese pavement * Spanish architecture * Spanish Colonial architecture * National Museum of the Azulejo


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