Azulejos are Portugal's Art Treasures

Hand-Painted Tiles Decorate Lisbon and the Portuguese Countryside

Jun 2, 2009

No other country has such fine hand-painted tiles (azulejos) as does Portugal. Whether blue and white or colorful scenes, the art form lives on since the 15th century.

Many countries display their heritage in museums. Portugal's national treasures are colorful, hand-painted tiles – azulejos – that adorn homes, buildings, palaces, churches and even subway stations. Dating from the 15th century, the blue-and-white or multi-colored tiles are a storybook of the country’s artistic provenance from the Renaissance to present day. Depicted are lifelike figures with whimsical smiles, grandiose battles, cloud-puffed skies, galloping stallions, overflowing floral vases, mustached peasants, bountiful catches from the sea and the tile makers' fantasies.

Lisbon Landmarks and Their Azulejos

Lisbon and its environs boast the largest azulejo art. In particular, the Museu Nacional do Azulejo has a panorama of Lisbon before the 1755 earthquake that depicts sailing vessels and the royal palace. The blue, white and yellow “carpet tiles,” imitate Moorish rugs.The on-site café' has 20th-century tiles that portray hunting themes.

The Oceanário de Lisboa, built as part of Expo ’98 on the banks of the Tagus River, has the world’s largest mural on a building. “Tiles of the Oceans” covers five stories and 240 feet wide and is made of 54,000, blue-and-white Portuguese tiles hand-painted by 12 women. Renowned architect, Ivan Chermayeff, used computerized images of ocean creatures for the six-inch squares. “From a distance, it’s a photographic image of reef fish,” Chermayeff explained, “but up close it’s a pretty wild abstraction.”

One of Lisbon's largest promenade azulejo murals is at the Monument to the Discoveriesand can be walked on. The map of the world shows the routes of the Portuguese navigators. It's best viewed from the top of the monument, which is designed in the shape of a caravel and located on the Lisbon-side bank of the River Tagus. It honors the 500th anniversary of the death of Prince Henry the Navigator and other notable explorers.

Art in the Lisbon Metro

Modern-day Lisbon boasts commissioned azulejo works at many Metro stations. Maria Helena Vieira da Silva’s “Le Metro” is at the Cidade Universitaria stop. It's a palette of pastels and earth tones and has the composition of a puzzle. Maria Keil designed tile wall coverings for about 25 years and for 19 stations. She's also responsible for the revival of the Portuguese art form when it declined from the 19th century until the first half of the 20th century. A major installation of Keil's is the mural depicting Portugal’s fishing heritage that's on the walls of a large building complex on Avenida Infante Santo. Manuel Cargaleiro is known for single-picture tiles of modern works in vivid colors and can be viewed at the Colegio Militar station.

Azulejo Attractions Outside of Lisbon

Sintra, west of Lisbon, was the summertime home to Portugal's kings. The Palacio Nacional de Sintra has the richest collection of Spanish-Moorish azulejo art from the end of the 15th and early-16th centuries and the typical blue-and-white tiles of the 18th century. Few spaces were left unadorned with patterns ranging from checkerboard to wine-leaf designs to geometric to floral. Even the courtyard benches are covered in tiles.

Brazilian immigrants in the 19th century influenced the tiles that decorate Porto, Portugal’s northern city known for its port wine. Estação de S. Bento, has 20,000 tiles depicting transportation and Portuguese history. At the Capela das Almas, the façade of the two-story building is stunning blue-and-white tiles that detail the death of Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Catherine at her martyrdom. The façade of the Igreja do Carmo, forms the city's most grandiose ceramic panel.

Shopping for Tiles in Lisbon

Lisbon's Fabrica Viuva Lamego, founded in 1879, sells reproductions of old tiles. Solar at Rua Dom Pedro V, 68-70, Barrio Alto has a notable collection of 15th- to 19th-century antique tiles, many from palaces and churches. Ratton, Rua Academia das Ciencias, 2, Sao Bento sells contemporary designs.

Local Artists Offer Private Azulejos Tours

First-hand, private tours given by local artists begin at Lisbon's National Tile Museum (Museu Nacional do Azulejo) and finish in a workshop where tour participants are shown how to paint and bake their own version of historic tiles.The workshop can be in an old convent, tile factory or other suitable locale. Per couple price is 150 – 200 euros; group rate upon request.

The copyright of the article Azulejos are Portugal's Art Treasures in Portugal Travel is owned by Judith Glynn. Permission to republish Azulejos are Portugal's Art Treasures in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.