Azulejo
A portuguese tale with half millennia of history
The path to this tale was laid long before the bloom of western civilizations, before the Portuguese people set sail into uncharted seas, before Socrates founded the basis for western philosophy, or even before Remus and Romulus dreamt of a Roman Empire.
It all started, with simple blue glazed tiles in Ancient Egypt, used in the Step Pyramids for the tomb of pharaoh Djoser, more than 4000 years ago, and from there it spread like wildfire into the world. Eastward it reached Persia and Asia. And Westward through trade and the expansion of the Muslim Empire eventually reached the Iberian Peninsula and it never left.
The moorish influence in Portugal was not as big as it was in Andalucia, nowadays southern Spain, but inspired by their artwork after a visit to Seville, the Portuguese king D. Manuel I, gave birth to this portuguese tale in the early XVI Century.
Its origins lay in the Moorish tilework designs, but as new techniques emerged, such as the majolica technique from Italy, the establishment of foreign artists and the creation of workshops with the exclusive imports of chinese porcelains and luxurious tapestries, a melting pot was formed and this art began to transform. Within half a century, it evolved into something entirely distinct and unmistakably Portuguese. By the mid seventeenth to late eighteenth century, it reached its most expressive and opulent phase: the Cycle of the Masters.
DAVIDE MACHADO
“A passion and a refuge, painting was always there, in the good and bad moments”
And here, by the hands of a single artist, Davide Machado, we preserve this ancient knowledge, having started to learn to paint on tiles at the age of 17 at Viúva Lamego, under the guidance of other renowned artists like Manuel Cargaleiro, Querubim Lapa, Manuel Sousa, Júlio Pomar and Vieira da Silva.
And now, at the dawn of 60 years young, we have initiated this project, Cerâmica São Miguel, to preserve and compile a lifetime of work dedicated to the study of this five centuries old Portuguese craft.
A Craft with Soul
Hand made & Hand painted
Every product that you will find in our online shop, is not just hand painted, but also hand made, with natural imperfections giving the painting one of the most noble and unique canvas to ever exist.
In a time where industrialization made everything fast and easily replaceable, our art is made with time, patience, and the know how of 40 years of dedication.