Islamic Origins of Azulejos Tiles in Portugal

When in Lisbon one of my favorite visits is the rather grand ‘National Museum of Azulejos Collection of Traditional Tiles from Portugal and the Portuguese Empire as well as other Iberian cultures’ but apart from the long title it contains the largest collection of ceramics in the world, a great representation of Azulejos tiles of early origins in Moorish Spain. 

Moorish expansion to the Southern Iberian Peninsula and the Zelij tilework from this period is rich, spreading widely through Europe and are easily recognized by the rich lustre glazes bold colours and  shimmering metallic effects when fired.  

The Al-Andaluc region with the spectacular Alhambra Fort Palace, the Alcazar Seville, Mezquita Bab al-Mardum Toldedo, and the Mezquita in Cordoba are all a treasure chest for seeing these  gorgeous tiles, but this Museums and the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum have two great collections in one city. 

Centres of tile production in the regions of Seville, Toledo, Malaga  and Valencia, where major confluences for artisans from different  parts of the Islamic Empire. The Cuerda Seca style of dry cord colour separation was developed here, the Arista press-mould method for  radial geometric patterns also, and these then became the Andalusi style. Colours at this time were traditionally blue, yellow, green, manganese and rusty red. Then King Manuel 1 first imported these coloured tiles to use in his palace at Sintra after seeing the Alhambra  Palace, and Portugal’s first palace was decorated with azulejos style. 

In time white tin glaze from the Middle East was also manufactured in Spain in Mallorca. Glazed earthenware (Majolica) was exported to  Italy, from here the craft was moved by Italian potters to new  northern cities like Antwerp and Delft after the fall of Antwerp. Earthenware became primarily focused in white and blues (inspired via Chinese trade). With synthetic variations of blue also hand  painted on Azulejos.  

Blue and white Delftware from the Netherlands influenced and featured in the golden age of Azulejos after the rebuilding of Lisbon after the earthquake of 1755. The city was entirely tiled in  monochromatic blue tones, using spectacularly impressive compositions of up to 2,000 pieces depicting scenes from the grandeur of a new age of discovery, battles, and noble edifices. More worldly subjects replaced the symbolic aspirations of Moorish designs, though they are still evident today with a more popular return to simpler geometric designs.