The Great Lisbon Workshop
The Great Lisbon Workshop was a society of painters and potteries created by the activity of the master tiler Bartolomeu Antunes (1688-1753), whose main objective was to supply all the tile works on the royal villas and palaces.
The Anonymous Tile Painter
Although history has kept the name of remarkable tile painters, usually the activity was carried out in anonymity.
The Madragoa Pottery
The Madragoa Pottery belonged to a large group of small manufacturing units that formed the industrial ceramics nucleus of the Lisbon parishes of Santos-o-Velho and Santa Catarina.
Bellerophon and the Jesuit Philosopher
To succeed in his mission, like a new Bellerophon, the Jesuit philosopher must combine intellectual gifts with those of prudence.
The Importance of Metaphysics
The program of the Jesuit philosophy course was structured in several stages and firmly anchored in Aristotelian thought. In the early levels, the students earned a solid initial training in Natural Philosophy and Logic.
Prometheus and the Jesuit Physics
In one of the panels of the Colégio do Espírito Santo classroom, the scientific discipline of Physics is compared with The punishment of Prometheus, a theme with an enormous tradition among humanists since the work of Andrea Alciato.
The Tile Painter’s Error
It is with some surprise that we can see some mistakes in the Latin phrases on the tile panels in the rooms of the Espírito Santo College, in Évora, and on the mathematical theorems in the tiles of the Santo Antão-o-Novo College, in Lisbon.
Science as a Christian Weapon
Both in the panel tiles of the physics class at the Colégio do Espírito Santo and the mathematics class in the Aula da Esfera, the Archimedes weapon established a bridge between the sciences and the successful evangelizing activity of the Jesuits.
The Wise Laughter of Democritus
One of the fables of La Fontaine, illustrated on the tiles of the Royal School of the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora, recounts the story of the philosopher Democritus, who, when contemplating the daily life of his fellow citizens, laughed without ceasing.
The Familiar Chinoiserie of the Rebelo de Andrade Palace
The taste and fashion of the chinoiserie were the direct result of Europe’s interactions with the East, within the framework of building a global trade network.
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Portuguese Tiles 