The Allure of Azulejo
It's difficult to find an old building of any note in Portugal which isn't adorned somewhere or other with the predominantly blue-tone ceramic tiles called azulejos. The centuries-old marriage of glazed ornamental tiles and Portuguese architecture is a match made in heaven.
After the Gothic period, large buildings made entirely of undressed brick or stone became a rarity in Portuguese architecture. Most structures had extensive areas of flat plaster on their facades and interior walls that cried out for decoration. The compulsion to fill these empty architectural spaces produced the art of the fresco in Italy; in Portugal, it produced the art of the azulejo.
The medium is well suited to the deeply rooted Portuguese taste for intricate, ornate decoration. And, aesthetics aside, glazed tiling is ideally suited to the country's more practical needs. Durable, waterproof, and easily cleaned, the tile provides cool interiors during Portugal's hot summers and exterior protection from the dampness of Atlantic winters.
The term azulejo comes not from the word azul ("blue" in Portuguese), but from the Arabic word for tiles, az-zulayj. But despite the long presence of the Moors in Portugal, the Moorish influence on early Portuguese azulejos was actually introduced from Spain in the 15th century.
The very earliest tiles on Portuguese buildings were imported from Andalusia. They're usually geometric in design and were most frequently used to form panels of repeated patterns. As Portugal's prosperity increased in the 16th century, the growing number of palaces, churches, and sumptuous mansions created a demand for more tile. Local production was small at first, and Holland and Italy were the main suppliers. The superb Dutch-made azulejos in the Paço Ducal in Vila Viçosa are famous examples from this period. The first Portuguese-made tiles had begun to appear in the last quarter of the 15th century, when a number of small factories were established, but three centuries were to pass before Portuguese tile making reached its peak.
The great figure in 18th-century Portuguese tile making is António de Oliveira Bernardes, who died in 1732. The school he established spawned the series of monumental panels depicting hunting scenes, landscapes, battles, and other historical motifs that grace many stately Portuguese homes and churches of the period. Some of the finest examples can be seen in the Alentejo—in buildings such as the university in Évora and the parish church in Alcácer do Sal—as well as at the Castelo de São Felipe in Setúbal. In Lisbon's Museu do Azulejo you can trace the development of tiles in Portugal from their beginnings to the present.
Portuguese tile making declined in quality in the 19th century, but a revival occurred in the 20th century, spearheaded by leading artists such as Almada Negreiros and Maria Keil. Today, some notable examples of tile use by contemporary artists can be seen in many of the capital's metro stations.
