After the earthquake reappeared the traditional 17th century polychromic and tile
PATTERN for coating Pombaline buildings, side by side with FIGURATIVE PANELS
(small tile panels placed over the doors or on a building entrance as a means of
protection against possible disasters). The most popular saints were S. Marçal,
protector against fires, S. Francisco de Borja, protector against earthquakes; and St.
António, protector saint of Lisbon (2º FLOOR – ROOM 13 E 14, NEO-CLASSIC TILE
REVETMENT).
M U S E U
N A C I O N A L
DO
A Z U L E J O
On the Nacional Museum of Azulejo, former
Madre de Deus Convent, there are two themes of
great interest: one of them is the BUILDING in
itself, the order is the revetment COLLECTION.
20th century gave birth to a diversity of stiles and directions, namely on the field of
architectural ceramics.
Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro (1846-1905) was, on 19th to 20th century transition, the
ceramist that better took in the ART NOUVEAU style creating, until the end of His life,
beautiful elevated patterns with grasshoppers and butterflies. On that time tile was
particularly used on shops decoration, on buildings fronts and mouldings (2º FLOOR –
ROOM 16, 19TH TILE REVETMENT).
On the Fifties, a renovation of tile revetment through its integration in modern
architectonic programmes happened. LISBON TUBE/SUBWAY, by way of Maria
work, was one of its greatest motivators (ROOM 16).
Ideas presented by qualified contemporary painters and ceramics have contributed
for tile utilisation being, in Portugal, not only an historical fact, but also a contemporary
presence in daily urban spaces. Of this utilisation is evidence the last sector of the
Exhibition, with Works of JORGE BARRADAS, MARIA KEIL, QUERUBIM LAPA,
EDUARDO NERY, CECÍLIA DE SOUSA, among many others. (2º PISO – ROOM 16,
20TH, CLOISTER D. JOÃO III).
THE BUILDING
The Nacional Museum of Azulejo is installed on former Madre de Deus Convent,
founded in 1509 by queen D. Leonor de Lencastre (1458-1525), widow of D. João II
and sister of D. Manuel I.
The Convent was intended to give shelter to the nuns of Santa Clara Order.
In spite of the rigorous rulings of humility, penitence and above all poverty that ruled
the Clarissas Order, the Convent was enlarged and enriched with important works of
art and decoration, especially during D. João III, D. João V and D. José kingdoms.
Being the object of royal protection contributed greatly for the remarkable
architectonic and decorative quality of its spaces – Church, Sacristy, high and low
Choirs and Santo António Chapel – totally filled, as they are, with great painters
works; Cristóvão Lopes, 16th century; Bento Coelho da Silveira, 17th century; and
André Gonçalves, 18th century, golden wood carving, tiles of Portuguese and Duth
Master, floors and furniture of exotic wood and marbles.
In 1867, the Convent became state property and closed definitively in 1872. Later, in
1958, on the 5º centennial of Queen D. Leonor birth, the Fundação Calouste
Gulbenkian organised an exhibition celebrating her life. On that occasion, the
building received extensive improvements and received Museu Nacional de Arte
Antiga tile collections.
The idea of creating a Museum dedicated to tile in a building so large and so
richly decorated came naturally to mind. Thus, in 1965, was created the Museu do
Azulejo, depending yet, however, of Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga. In 1980 it
1 e 2 – Archaic and Hispano-Moresque Tile Revetment; 3 – Tiles imported from Antwerp.
First Portuguese production in Majolica technique; 4 - Nossa Senhora da Vida panel, ca
1580; 5 – Pattern Tiles, 17th century; 6 – Patterns and hagiographic panels, 17th century; 7
– Altar-frontals of oriental influence, 17th century.
A - Church; B - Sacristy; C – Low Choir; D - D. Leonor Chapel;
E - Cloister; F – Small Cloister, 17th century Tile Revetment; G Temporary exhibition;
H – Santo António Chapel; I – House of Crib; J – High Choir;
L – Main Staircase; M - “Painter of Jerusalém”; N – Royal pulpit.
O – Temporary exhibition.
8 – Hunting Room, 17th century; 9 - S. Bento Staircase, 17th century; 10 – Figurative
panels, 17th century; 11 – 18th century Imported tiles from Holland, Cycle of the Masters
Piso 3 – Great Panorama of Lisbon, beginning of 18th century.
and Great Production; 13 – Rococo, Pombaline and Neo-classic Tile Revetment, 18th and
19th centuries; 14 – Neo-classic and Romantic Tile Revetment, 18th century and 19th. 16 –
20th century.
MUSEU NACIONAL DO AZULEJO
Rua da Madre de Deus, 4 – 1900.312 Lisboa
Tel. (351) 21 8100340 / Fax (315) 21 8100369
E-mail: [email protected]
www.mnazulejo-ipmuseus.pt
became Museu Nacional do Azulejo.
PERMANENT EXHIBITION
The National Museum of Azulejo collection sets up a trajectory going from the
second half of 15th century to the present times. It begins by a brief
presentation of tile manufacture and continues the visit through the different
rooms of the Museum, following a chronologic order.
After a first contact with the materials and the
techiques used in making tiles, the exhibition shows
Hispanos-Moresques pieces, made with cuerda
seca and arista techniques of the beginning of 16th
century. Some of the tiles of this room were orders
made by D. Manuel I to Seville workshops for the
decoration of his Vila de Sintra Palace (ROOM 1 CORDA SECA AND ARISTA TILES).
The Museum collection shows next tiles made with an innovative technique developed
in Italy – the Majolica – witch made possible to paint directly on the tile surface without
mixing the colours during firing, allowing the realization of large figurative
compositions. From middle of 16th century on, all of Portuguese tile revetment was
made through this technique.
An example of a remarkable realization in the Majolica
technique is the NOSSA SENHORA DA VIDA PANEL,
ca. 1580, one of the first masterpieces of Portuguese
tile revetment, attributed to Marçal de Matos (G/F –
ROOM 3 e ROOM 4)
From the first half of 16th century, Filipino Period,
there are on MNA rich PATTERN tiles. An example of
this are the “Italo – Flemish” motives, the pattern tiles –
“CARPET TYPE”, like “diamond points”, “camellias”,
“vine leaves”, “shell”, among others. On the Museum it
can also been seen, small panels – DEVOTIONAL
TILES PANELS – with religious scenes of a very naïve
execution; and the ALTAR – FRONTALS, “rich faked
cloths” decorated with motives of oriental influence.
Artisans and apprentices tile revetment of this epoch, commanded as a rule by Clergy
to enrich religious spaces. The more frequent colours were blue and yellow. (ROOMS
5, 6 AND 7).
Passing through the MANUELINO SMALL CLOISTER, it is impossible not to notice
the blue and yellow Tiles from the 17th century named “ENXAQUETADO RICO” (tiles
with chequered design) that came from extinguish Sant´Ana Convent.
On first floor, we find on “Hunting room”, six panels of
the 2nd half of 17th century that came from Praia
Palace in Lisbon. After the Restoration of the
Independence in 1640, Nobility began ordering panels
with non-religious themes to decorate its palaces.
Hunting, on of the activities preferred by noblemen of
this time, is one of the most represented scenes (1º
FLOOR - ROOM 8).
From the multicoloured panels of 17th century that can be seen on the
exuberant flower panels (1º FLOOR - ROOM 9 SÃO BENTO STAIRCASE), there
followed on 17th century blue-cobalt painted tile revetment, influence by Dutch
tile revetment and imported Chinese porcelain. The numerous riches coming
from Brazil increased the orders number.
On the 2nd quarter of 18th century – Great Production – tile production
increased considerably, and names like Teotónio dos Santos, Bartolomeu
Antunes and Nicolau de Freitas stood out. From Baroque period, D. João V
epoche, it is exhibited, among other panels, ALEXANDER´S BATLLE and
MARITIME AND RURAL SCENE (1º PISO - SALA 11 ENG. SANTOS SIMÕES.
AZULEJARIA BARROCA DA 1º METADE DO SÉC. XVIII).
On the first quarter of 18th century, there were several
good painters of tiles, in terms of aesthetic and
technique: Gabriel del Barco, Manuel dos Santos,
António Pereira, the Oliveira Bernardes family, o
Mestre PMP. This period is known by “CYCLE OF THE
MASTERS”.
From the end of 18th century or beginning of 19th,
possibility from REAL FÁBRICA DO RATO created by
Marquis de Pombal, is HATTER STORY. A panel
ensemble that relates the social ascent/climb of
shepherd António Joaquim Carneiro (1º FLOOR – ROOM
12 ROCOCÓ, POMBALINE NEOCLÁSSIC TILE REVETMENT
ROOM).