Portuguese ceramics - what you need to know

There are many reasons for this! First and foremost, the following is typical of ceramics from Portugal:

Reactive glazes

These are glazes characterized by an "uncontrolled" color gradient. Each piece looks a little different! What many do not know: The glazes usually do not belong to the brands, but to the factories - that's why you sometimes see the exact same patterns at different brands! We have developed our own glazes together with our partner factory.

Made in Europe

Portugal is not only a beautiful country that many people know from their vacations, it is also part of the European Union. This means that European labor standards are observed here, and work is done under fair conditions.

Natural / Organic shapes

Portuguese ceramics are often characterized by "intentional imperfection". On the one hand, this looks good, on the other hand, it simplifies the production process. During production, bowls, for example, bend again and again - due to the organic form, this is not tragic but is appreciated as a positive characteristic. This means, among other things, that less has to be thrown away and the production is more sustainable!

There are several regions in Portugal where ceramics are produced. As is often the case, many similar companies are located in the same place. While the north around Braga is known for the textile industry, many large and small ceramic factories are located around Batalha, in the hinterland of Nazaré (known for the biggest waves in the world!). From our factory you can even see the sea and the houses of Nazaré.

Although most major brands advertise with "Handmade in Portugal", in most cases you should not imagine small factories with potter's wheels. In the factories that produce for the bigger brands, you will find some automated processes, expensive machines and less and less manual work. In smaller factories like the one we work with, almost everything is done by hand. There are basically two processes that are used in production:

Giessen

In this technique, clay is poured liquid into a mold. After a few minutes, the clay is emptied from the mold again and a thin layer of clay remains on the inner wall (Exactly the same as Schoggi-Osterhasen are poured!). After this layer has dried, the object is removed from the mold. The casting technique is done exclusively by hand, no machines are used here. However, this technique is much more efficient than the turning technique (on the potter's wheel).

Pressing process

In the pressing process, a piece of clay is pressed between two impressions of the model, which presses the clay into the corresponding shape. The pressing process itself is done by a machine, but the clay has to be poured in by hand and also removed from the machine by hand. Whether this is manual work or not is a matter of opinion. Is it manual labor when a screw is fastened with a cordless screwdriver?

Further processing

After the first two processes, the objects are smoothed by hand with a sponge and excess edges are removed. The objects are then placed in the kiln. The glaze is also applied by hand, usually either by the dipping method or by spraying.