Azulejos: Visual Arts in Portugal

Glazed blue tiles, or azulejos, can be found throughout Portugal. They decorate the winding streets of the capital, Lisbon. They cover the walls of train stations, restaurants, bars, public palace frescoes, fountains, church and altar facades. Azulejos can be seen on park benches and paved sidewalks, as well as adorning the facades of buildings and homes in towns across the country.

Traditional tile art tells the story of Portugal’s proud maritime history through depictions of navigators and famous ships called caravel. More modern tile art might showcase animals such as tigers and elephants—pieces inspired by 17th-century Oriental design—or the contemporary geometric expressions of Portuguese artist Maria Keil (1914-2012), who created pieces for Lisbon’s metro stations Stunning tile work AD 1950s.

The distinctive blue color of azulejos might lead you to think that the word is derived from azul (the Portuguese word for blue). But azulejos originates from the Portuguese word for a small, smooth polished stone - aljulej or azulej - and this evolved into azulejo (pronounced ah-zoo-le-zhoo) in Portuguese.

Tile art is more than just decoration; it forms a visual record of Portugal's history. So let's visit the National Tile Museum and discover the history of Portuguese tiles.

Visit the Museu Nacional do Azulejo

To truly appreciate Portugal’s beautiful tile art, it’s worth taking the time to visit Lisbon’s National Tile Museum (Museu Nacional do Azulejo). The museum preserves Portuguese ceramic art from the 15th century AD, and visitors will learn how the decorative language of azulejos traces the cultural identity of the country and the evolution of the techniques used to make azulejos.

The use of glazed and decorative tiles did not originate in Portugal, but dates back to ancient Assyria and Babylonia.

The museum is located in the Xabregas district of Lisbon and covers three floors of the Convent of Our Lady, founded by Dona Leonor de Viseu (1458 AD), the widow of King Joao II (r. 1481-1495 AD). -1525) was founded in 1509 AD. The gold and gilded interior is due to renovations carried out after the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755 AD, which partially destroyed the monastery.

Historical Snapshot

The use of glazed and decorative tiles did not originate in Portugal but dates back to ancient Assyria and Babylon, showing us that the ancient world was full of colour. Decorated tiles and bricks have been found on the walls of ancient Assyrian palaces. The Gate of Ishtar, located at the entrance to Babylon, is perhaps the most famous example of ancient tile art. Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II (r. 605/604-562 BC) ordered the construction of the gate c. 575 BC, depicts a lion, a young bull (aurochs) and a dragon (sirrush) on a vibrant cobalt blue glazed background.

In ancient Egypt, the tomb of Pharaoh Djoser (about 2670 BC), the first king of the Third Dynasty of Egypt, is located in the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara and is covered with blue colored pottery. Bricks with yellow threads as papyrus stems.

Lead glass was known to the Romans who first used the technology in the 1st century BC. The Greco-Roman world, however, favored the technique of mosaic, which was created by inlaying tesserae (small pieces of stone or glass) into intricate designs on the floors and walls of public buildings, private homes, and temples. They also decorated surfaces by painting on wet lime plaster (called the fresco technique) and applying internal or external stucco to create a relief effect (called stucco).

In the 8th century AD, the Moors brought *** mosaic and tile art to the Iberian Peninsula.

As the culture of *** countries flourished, the use of ceramic tiles with geometric patterns on walls became an important aspect of ceramic tile art and religious expression. *** Ceramicists developed glossy tiles for use in palaces, *** temples, and shrines, giving these buildings a unique iridescent finish.

Perhaps the earliest example of *** tile decoration can be seen on the Dome of the Rock *** Temple (Qubbat al-Sakhra) on Temple Hill in Jerusalem. It was built by the *** Caliph Abd el-Malik in 688-691 AD, but Suleiman the Magnificent (1520-1566 AD) was responsible for the renovation of the *** temple and the replacement of the exterior mosaics with sparkling tiles.

The Sultan Ahmed *** Temple in Istanbul, Turkey, is known as the Blue *** Temple because its interior is covered with more than 20,000 striking blue and white Iznik tiles.

Iznik was the center of Turkish tile and ceramic production in the Ottoman Empire in the late 15th century.

You may be wondering why the ancient world seems to be filled with blue, and that's because the semi-precious stone lapis lazuli (meaning "Sky Stone") was prized in ancient times for its sapphire hue, and is thought to be associated with knowledge, insight, and magical powers.

*** and Italian influence

In the 8th century AD, the Moors brought *** mosaic and tile art to the Iberian Peninsula, and it is here that our story begins started.

King Manuel I of Portugal (reigned 1495-1521 AD) visited the Alhambra in Seville and Granada and was struck by the *** geometric patterns he saw Shocked by the tiles. King Manuel was one of the wealthiest monarchs in Christendom due to the Age of Discovery of Portugal (early 15th to mid-17th century AD). He imported azulejos from Seville and decorated the royal hall in his palace in Sintra (Palácio Nacional de Sintra). The Spanish *** geometric pattern used in this room is called mudejar, and the tile decoration of this period is called Hispano-Moresque.

After the earthquake of 1755 AD that destroyed much of the city, the palaces of Sintra remained largely intact. If you visit the National Tile Museum, you should also visit the Palace of Sintra (about 25 kilometers or 15 meters north of Lisbon).

The highlight of the Museu Nacional Do Azulejo is the 1,300 traditional blue and white panoramic panels called Lisbon Views. It is located on the top floor, 23 meters (75 ft) long, and was made in 1700 AD by the Spanish-born tile painter Gabriel del Barco (1649-1701 AD). It is one of the few remaining visual records of the urban landscape before the devastating earthquake.

But perhaps the most fascinating example of Portuguese tile art is the colorful panel called Nossa Senhora da Vida (Daughter of Life) located on the first floor of the museum. It is the oldest azulejo in Portugal and was an important part of Portuguese ceramic tile production in the 16th century CE.

The 1st Marquis of Pombal (1699-1782 CE) presided over the reconstruction of Lisbon.

After the Reconquista—when Spanish and Portuguese territories on the Iberian Peninsula were wrested from the French—the Portuguese were free to develop their own style of hand-painted azulejos. No longer bound by *** laws prohibiting the depiction of human figures, tile painters could now paint animals and humans, historical and cultural events, religious imagery, flowers, fruits and birds.

By the mid-16th century, Italian and Flemish craftsmen, attracted by the burgeoning art of tiles and the possibilities of using new technologies, settled in Lisbon. One such technique is Italian enamel, which allows painting directly onto tiles and depicting a more complex range of designs, such as figurative themes and historical stories. Nossa Senhora da Vida is an excellent example of enamel and Renaissance influences (the transition from the Middle Ages to the modern era, which occurred between the 14th and 17th centuries AD).

The 1580 CE panel consists of 1,498 azulejos painted in trompe l'oeil (a style of painting intended to provide a convincing illusion of reality). This is an outstanding early example of Portuguese religious iconography, including venerated images of the shepherds and John the Evangelist (c. 15 AD to 100 AD). Blue and white squares create illusory depth, while painted figures and patterns in green, yellow and blue mimic painted panels with gold-gilded frames. The rectangle in the upper meniscus indicates that the azulejo once had a window (it was originally a wall in the Church of San Andreas in Lisbon).

Portuguese Style

The first Marquis of Pombal, Sebasti?o José de Carvalho e Melo (1699-1782 AD), presided over the reconstruction of Lisbon, and architectural tiles began to follow the so-called Pombalino style. Known as azulejos pombalinos, the tiles were transferred from the interior to the exterior of churches and buildings - including public and religious monuments, palaces, staircase walls, houses, restaurants and gardens. Azulejos pombalinos are also considered an effective and low-cost construction solution.

So far the church and the nobility had commissioned decorative ceramics, but we are beginning to see a democratization of ceramic tiles with their widespread use in urban housing and urban renewal.

To meet demand, the Real Fábrica de Lou?a tile production factory was opened in the Lato district of Lisbon, and 1715 AD was the last foreign import of tiles.

Portugal's overseas expansion starting in the early 14th century AD resulted in the mixing of many cultures, and azulejos reflect the exotic, including elephants, monkeys, and indigenous peoples from colonies and territories such as Brazil. Indian printed textiles showing Hindu and natural symbols became popular between 1650 and 1680 AD, particularly a composition called aves e ramagen ("birds and branches").

The museum's Cheetah Cheetah (1650-1675 AD) blends themes from Portugal's overseas conquests with European cultural traditions. The polychrome faience panel that came to the museum from the Quinta de Santo António da Cadriceira in Torres Vedras (about 50 kilometers or 30 miles north of Lisbon) shows a female leopard wearing feathers that was hunted by indigenous people.

The Wedding of the Chicken panel (1660-1667 AD) demonstrates the creativity of Portuguese craftsmen of the 17th century AD, but also shows how commissioned azulejos often communicated social satire or political messages. In this large panel, a chicken is transported on a carriage escorted by a group of monkeys playing musical instruments. Singerie (French for "Monkey Trick") is the name of a visual image in which fashionably dressed monkeys demonstrate human behavior, which became a distinct genre in the 16th century AD.

The group is inside the museum and the tour guide may tell you that monkeys are often associated with satire, while the Wedding of the Chicken can be interpreted as a reference to Spain and its supporters during the Restoration War (1640-1668 AD) political commentary. Ended the Spanish Habsburgs' 60-year dual monarchy in Portugal and Spain and established a new ruling dynasty in Portugal: the House of Braganza.

By the early 18th century AD, Portuguese tile artisans had been influenced by Chinese porcelain designs from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) and Dutch Delft ceramics, both of which resulted in the designs seen The cobalt blue and white visual appearance of Portuguese tiles exists throughout Portugal today.

The Baroque (1600-1750 CE) and Rococo (1700-1800 CE) movements resulted in a style of azulejo that was unique to Portugal - figuras de convite or inviting figures. These were ornate life-size figures, often of finely dressed nobles or women, that were affixed to the walls of staircases and entrances to palaces to welcome or invite guests inside. They made direct eye contact, and one can only imagine the surprise guests would feel when they saw one of these figures. Invitational figures were a Portuguese design innovation in that they were outlines or cutouts rather than the traditional square tile combinations.

After the 17th and 18th centuries' flirtation with ornate flourishes and often macabre themes, 19th-century azulejos designs catered to the emerging bourgeoisie (a social order dominated by the so-called middle class ) taste. The bourgeoisie wanted glazing to reflect their social success and status and the nouveau riche immigrants returning to Brazil brought the trend of decorating their homes with tiled exteriors to keep the interior cool and reduce outside noise. As a result, there was a move away from large panels to smaller, more refined azulejos.

Industrialization introduced new technologies, such as transfer printing methods on blue and white or multi-colored azulejos, although hand-painted tiles remained popular. Mass production meant that tiles could be produced at lower costs and a wider variety of stylized designs were available, from traditional patterns to foreign adaptations.

Facades of the Art Nouveau period (c. 1890 to 1910 AD) were decorated with flowing curves, flowers, plants, vines, leaves, insects and animals that were typical of Art Nouveau. However, the cultural elite began to view tile art as outdated and thought it was for the masses.

By the early 20th century AD, tile art had fallen out of favor and was in danger of becoming a lost art, but thanks to the help of contemporary Portuguese artists such as Maria Kell, in the 1950s AD, with the subway With the construction of the station and the laying of tiles, the art of tiles was revived and used as modernist works of art in murals.

Public *** Art

You can spend hours in the museum learning about Portugal’s visual history room by room, but you can also wander through any of Lisbon’s streets and see Look at the azulejos that have stood the test of time for hundreds of years. You'll often see people cleaning and polishing azulejos outside the house.

When you arrive at the museum, take a seat at the cafe and sip a cup of gal?o - Portuguese coffee, like a milky latte - and you'll see the stunning 18th-century CE azulejo panel, Pigs and fish are shown hanging waiting to be prepared for cooking.