Bordallo Pinheiro

In 1884, painter and cartoonist Raphael Bordallo Pinheiro began producing ceramics and established a factory for glazed pottery in Caldas da Rainha, Portugal, together with his younger brother.

In his ceramic work, Bordallo Pinheiro combined the city’s ancient pottery tradition with high-technology methods and a unique, humorous artistry influenced by both contemporary Art Nouveau and Moorish designs.

He mixed utilitarian and decorative objects – tiles, plates, platters, figurines and table centrepieces – using animals and vegetables as recurrent themes. Strawberry shaped tableware, swallows and especially the cabbage shape, a symbol for the common people, were staples in Portuguese homes throughout the twentieth century. Hundreds of original moulds are still stored in the Bordallo Pinheiro factory and provide the basis for today’s production.