Medieval Tiles and glazed ceramics in the Iberian Peninsula
Team Members: Solange Muralha, Susana Coentro, Augusta Lima, Virginia Frois, Ana Sofia Leal
(Master student), Francisca Pulido Valente (scholarship at FCT-UNL)
Collaborations: Rui Trindade (MNAA, IHA-FCSH), António Candeias (Hercules), Teresa Ferreira
(Hercules), José Mirão (Hercules), João Coroado (IPT), Luís Cerqueira (C2TN/IST), Rui Silva (C2TN/IST),
João Mimoso (LNEC), Sílvia Pereira (LNEC), Trinitat Pradell (UPC, Barcelona), Judit Molera (U. Vic),
Josefina Peréz Antegui (U. Salamanca), Jaume Coll (Museo Nacional de Cerámica y Artes Suntuarias
"González Martí"), Michael Tite (U. Oxford), Cátia Relvas (scholarship at Hercules), Patrícia Alho
(scholarship at IHA-FCSH)
Our studies focus first on azulejos (glazed tiles) and then glazed ceramics from the medieval period.
An analytical, historical and physical-chemical characterisation of Portuguese medieval glazed
ceramics will provide important information regarding the materials used, the production technology,
the decorative techniques, and central to this discussion, to confirm its provenance. We have an
ongoing financed project on medieval tiles (PTDC/ CPC-EAT/4719/2012) and our first results,
concerning the collection excavated at the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha were already published.
This work also initiated a study on Spanish glazed tiles, which for purposes of comparing production
technologies are an indispensable vehicle. Correlated with the work performed, we are starting to
produce replicas of the medieval tiles, in order to fully understand the medieval production
technology and to aid conservation issues. Reproductions will act as a complement to the different
analytical techniques, since experimental reproductions can confirm the conclusions of the analytical
study.
Figure 1 – Example of a relief tile from the
National Sintra Palace
Figure 2 – SEM mapping of a black glaze tile
from the Monastery of Santa Clara-a Velha.
Our main activities concerning the study of glazed tiles and ceramics are:
a) Detailed study of Hispano-Moresque tiles from the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha,
b) Ongoing study of the tiles belonging to the National Sintra Palace,
c) Ongoing study on Spanish collections of Hispano-Moresque glazed tiles, collecting samples at the
Instituto Valencia Don Juan in Madrid (samples from Seville and Toledo) and later, some micro-XRD
analysis at the synchrotron facilities ALBA in Barcelona.
d) Initial study on some factors influencing the Hispano-Moresque glazes through the production of
mock-ups.
e) Initial study on cobalt sources of Hispano-Moresque tiles.
Our ceramic studies are not limited to tiles and many ceramic collections are being studied or will be
in the future. Some examples are:
1) Study of the Islamic Collection from the MNAA: seventeenth century great relief panel from
Isfahan (Iran), Figure 3, and a collection of Qajar ceramic tiles from the 20th century, Figure 4.
2) Study of the excavated collection from Campo Santana (Lisbon): archaeological findings
include faience and porcelain from the 17th c (Figure 5).
3) Study of the porcelain collection from the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha.
4) Study of the archaeological findings at the Silves Castle from the Islamic period (10th-12th c.)
5) Collection of medieval tiles from Excavations in the city of Almada, Barreiro and the Monastery
of Alcobaça.
Figure 3 and 4: Details from the 17th c. tile panel from Isfahan in modern Iran.
Figure 5: Some examples of ceramic artefacts from the excavation at the Convent of Santana (Lisbon):
on the left side a S. Domingo Blue on White (Spain) and on the right side a Liguria dish (Italy)
Publications
-M. L. Coutinho, V. S. F. Muralha, J. Mirão, J. P. Veiga, “Non-destructive characterization of oriental
porcelain glazes and blue underglaze pigments using µ-EDXRF, µ-Raman and ESEM”, Applied Physics
A, 114, 2014, 695-703.
- S. Coentro, R. A. A. Trindade, J. Mirão, A. Candeias, L. C. Alves, R. M. C. Silva, V. S. F. Muralha,
"Hispano-Moresque ceramic tiles from the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha (Coimbra, Portugal)",
Journal of Archaeological Science, 41, 2014, 21-28.
- S. Coentro, A. Lima, A. Silva, A. N. Pais, J. Mimoso, V. S.F. Muralha, “Colours in Lisbon tiles”, Bilingual
chapter included in the catalogue of the exhibition “A Portuguese taste: the use of tiles in the 17 c.”,
Atena, Museu Nacional do Azulejo, 2013, pp. 375-383.
- S. Coentro, A. Lima, A. Silva, A. N. Pais, J. Mimoso, V. S. F. Muralha, “Multi-analytical study of the
pigments in 17th Century Portuguese Azulejos”, Journal of the European Ceramic Society, 32 (2012),
37)
Oral Communications:
- S. Coentro, R. A. A. Trindade, J. Mirão, R. M. C. Silva, V. S. F. Muralha, “Hispano-Moresque Tiles in
Portugal: the collections of Palácio Nacional de Sintra e Mosteiro de Santa Clara-a-Velha”, Medieval
Pottery Research Group Anual Conference, Lisbon, Portugal, 18-21 June 2014.
- S. Coentro, R. A. A. Trindade, F. Martinho, J. Mirão, R. M. C. Silva, V. S. F. Muralha, “HispanoMoresque glazed tiles from the National Palace of Sintra, Portugal: A non-destructive study", 13th
International Conference of the European Ceramic Society (ECERS 2013), Limoges, France, 23-27 June,
2013.
- S. Coentro, R. A. A. Trindade, A. Candeias, J. Mirão, L. Cerqueira, R. M. C. Silva, V. S. F. Muralha,
Chemical characterisation of Hispano-Moresque tiles from the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha in
Coimbra, Portugal , Azulejar , Aveiro, Portugal, 10-12th October 2012
-S. Coentro, R. A. A. Trindade, A. Candeias, J. Mirão, L. Cerqueira, R. M. C. Silva, V. S. F. Muralha,
Architectural tiles in the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha in Coimbra, Portugal: study of the
production techniques, Global Pottery, Barcelona,
Spain, 7th-9th May
2012.
- S. Canaveira, S. Coentro, A. Candeias, J. Mirão, T. Vale, V.S.F. Muralha, "Study of 18th century glass
mosaics: The reds, oranges and carnagionni of Alessio Mattioli"ChemCH: Chemistry for Cultural
Heritage, Istanbul, Turkey, 9th – 12th July 2012.
- Susana Coentro, Luís Cerqueira, Rui M. C. Silva, Vânia S. F. Muralha, µ-Raman analysis of HispanoMoresque historical tiles , ChemCH: Chemistry for Cultural Heritage, Istanbul, Turkey, 9th – 12th July
2012.
- V. S. Muralha, S. Coentro, C. Stefano, S. Canaveira, Scientific Analysis of the glass mosaics at the
Chapel of St. John Baptist, Ciclo de conferências temáticas sobre a Capela de São João Baptista, 3rd
May, 2012 Lisbon, Portugal
-S. Coentro, V. S. F. Muralha, A. M. Lima, A. S. Silva, A. N. Pais, J. M. Mimoso, Multi-analytical study of
the pigments in 17th Century Portuguese Azulejos, SEM and microanalysis in the study of historical
technology, materials and conservation, British Museum, 9-10 September 2010.
-A. Niessen, M. Tissot, V. S. F. Muralha, Unveiling the composition of Iron Age ceramics by a nondestructive technique: A Raman mapping study, 1st International Congress chemistry for cultural
heritage, Ravenna, Italy, 30th June- 3rd July 2010.
-V. S. F. Muralha, A.Ruivo, A. Pires de Matos, N. Ayed, “Characterization of provenance studies of stone
Tesserae: Unfolding the art of Tunisian stone mosaics”, Symposium International du Mosaique, 3rd
session, El Jem –Mahdia, Tunisia, 23-26 April 2008.
Ongoing PhD Thesis:
Susana Coentro, PhD in Conservation and Restoration, FCT/UNL, "Azulejaria Medieval Portuguesa:
estudo de materiais, técnicas e estabelecimento de proveniências" (SFRH/BD/73007/2010).