Portuguese Faience

Caldas da Rainha
Despite having some tradition in the art of ceramics, only in the 19th century did the production of Caldas da Rainha gain its status.
Royal patronage contributed greatly to this in the shape of Queen Maria II and King Fernando II who stimulated the talent of the ceramist Manuel Cipriano Gomes (known as Manuel Mafra) who in 1843, acquired the D. Maria dos Cacos workshop and started a flourishing ceramic production. In the wake of this production, other factories developed based in this region.




Juncal
As regards the ceramic productions in the Central region, worthy of special mention is that of the Juncal factory (Fábrica do Juncal).
Founded in 1770 by José Rodrigues da Silva e Sousa (a stucco artist), this production acquired its license and right to use the royal arms in 1774, becoming known as the Royal Factory of Juncal (Real Fábrica do Juncal).
Just like his counterparts, it was deeply affected by the French invasions and was closed in 1876.




Coimbra
With ceramic production resuming in the Coimbra area during the 18th century, the best known production in this region in the following centuries was popularly named ratinho Earthenware. The term Ratinho (little mouse), associated with the designation of rustic and the Beira region, was an adjective also used to characterise the workers from the Beiras who seasonally went to the Alentejo for agricultural works.
This ceramic production is characterised by ingenious forms, with characteristic polychromys and popular motifs such as the figurative, zoomorphic, vegetalist and floral decoration, in a simple portrayal in popular style.

It was under the Pombaline auspices that the Royal Factory was founded in 1767 which, owing to its location at Largo do Rato, took the name Factory do Rato (Fábrica do Rato).
In 1770, to defend itself against its rivals, the importing of ceramics was forbidden, with the exception of porcelain from the Orient when transported in Portuguese ships and exports of Faience from the Royal Factory were exempt. However, and despite these measures, the Factory soon began to have huge losses which spelled their end in 1835.
A further Lisbon ceramic production in this period was the Royal Factory of Bica do Sapato (Real Fábrica da Bica do Sapato), founded in 1796 by Luís Soares Henriques which was devastated by fire in around 1820.
Other ceramic workshops in the capital were revamped during the Pombaline reforms, but they were immediately destroyed with the French invasions, later with the decrees of 1808 and 1810 which opened up the overseas’ market to English exports, and finally with the civil war of 1832-34.
But as from the mid-19th century, and after these convulsions, ceramic production rose again, to wit by dint of its industrialisation. Several factories sprang up in the capital in this period such as the António da Costa Lamego Factory (Fábrica de António da Costa Lamego) founded in 1889 (subsequently Viúva Lamego), the Royal Factory of Sacavém (Real Fábrica de Louça de Sacavém) and the Sant’Anna Factory (Fábrica de Sant’Anna), inter alia.

Ceramic manufacture was not only carried out in the capital and centre of the country. The famous Viana factory was located in the North of Portugal.
Situated in Darque (Viana do Castelo), this factory was founded in 1774 and developed various types of high-quality production.

But it was in the Oporto region that the largest production centre of Portuguese Faience emerged in the 18th century, beginning of the 19th century, benefitting from the perks granted by the Pombaline reforms and the introduction of foreign capital.
The Massarelos Factory (Fábrica de Massarelos), situated in Oporto, seems to be the oldest industrial unit in this sector, even predating the Rato Factory (Fábrica do Rato), having started operating in 1764.
Founded by Manuel Duarte Silva, the factory, which remained in the hands of the family for some years, produced Faience pieces for both the national market and for the colonies and even for Galicia. During this period its production seems to have specialised in pieces painted blue adorned by the characteristic Rouen edgings.
Later the factory was rented out to other industrialists (including Rocha Soares), and it then underwent a production crisis in 1829/1830 in the wake of a fire and litigations between the factory owners. Its situation ended up stabilising despite some changes in ownership.
However, from 1870 onwards, and with the death of João da Rocha e Sousa, the Factory of Massarelos entered in a circle of administrative instability which was only to end right in the heart of the 20th century.
After being shutdown between 1895 and 1900, it fell into the hands of João Regis de Lima and was again let out to a new company, mainly made of up of English people, going by the name of Empresa Cerâmica Portuense, Ldª. This was dissolved in 1912 and gave way to a new company, the partners being Archibald James Wall and his wife and Charles F. Chambers and his son going by the name of Chambers & Wall.
In 1920 the building was consumed by fire, and only the prestige of the brand “Massarelos – Oporto” remained and continued to be used in the production of the Roriz factory and associated units.
Finally, in 1936 the factory was sold to Companhia das Fábricas de Cerâmica Lusitânia SARL.

On the other bank of the river in Gaia, in operation since 1784, worthy of special mention was the St.º António do Vale da Piedade Factory (Fábrica de Santo António do Vale da Piedade) which was led by the Genovese trader Jerónimo Rossi, the Vice-consul of Sardinia in Oporto.
Worthy of mention is the great volume of exports from the factory to Brazil but, just as the other ceramic productions, it suffered with the French invasions and the subsequent opening up of the market to imports of English-made products. Jeronimo Rossi died in 1821 and his daughters, particularly Joana Rossi, continued to run the factory.
After a period in which it went through the hands of Francisco Galvão and later Francisco da Rocha Soares and João da Rocha e Sousa, the factory was rented out again in 1834 after the liberal wars to a company in which João de Araújo Lima was involved, and it changed hands again one year later, becoming the property of J. Augusto Kopke, again being managed by Joana Rossi. In 1843 a fire destroyed the factory and in 1846 Araújo Lima reconstituted the original complex product.
Subsequent to the death of Araújo Lima, under the management of João do Rio Júnior, changes were made which led to the production of ornamentation pieces in relief for interiors and exteriors.
In 1886 the factory burned down and some of its workers went to Caldas da Rainha on the initiative of Feliciano Bordalo Pinheiro. The company which ran it was dissolved in 1902 though the factory continued to operate until the start of the 1930’s.

Tureen with cover

Antropomorphus bottle