File:"Madre de Deus" Church ceiling (42438856954).jpg

National Tiles Museum, Lisbon, Portugal

The National Tile Museum in Lisbon is the only museum in Portugal dedicated to the tiles and houses a hugely impressive collection of these decorative tiles, with outstanding examples from the 15th century to the present day.

Set in the church and cloisters of Madre de Deus, a former 16th-century convent, this worthwhile tourist attraction lies some distance from the city centre, about 1.5 kilometres east of Santa Apolónia railway station, but is easily reached by bus.

Founded in 1509 by Queen D. Leonor, sister of Manuel I and widow of King João II, the Convento da Madre de Deus was originally constructed in the Manueline style.

The great earthquake of 1755 caused substantial damage to the building and after careful renovation, successive monarchs added their own architectural signature, with João III opting for simple Renaissance flourishes, while João V later chose to embellish the church with sumptuous Baroque decoration. The only original Manueline structure is the small and graceful cloister (the church's south portal is a 19th-century reconstruction from a 16th-century painting hanging in the city's Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga).

The collection is displayed chronologically in rooms set alongside the Renaissance cloister - one of the most enchanting locations for any museum display in Lisbon. Sightseers can meander through the halls, which trace the development of tile-making, from its Moorish origins to contemporary artistic interpretations.

Included in a visit is the stunning interior of Madre de Deus, a dazzling ornamentation of gilded wood, shimmering blue-and-white azulejos, and a beautifully panelled ceiling. The Chapel of St. Anthony is equally breathtaking. After exploring the museum and the church, visitors can savour a snack or a meal in the restaurant located in the gardens.

MUSEU NACIONAL DO AZULEJO GALLERY GUIDE

EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS

The Renaissance cloister and other rooms accommodate the National Tile Museum and are curated chronologically, with the oldest tiles on the ground floor.

Your self-guided tour begins in Rooms 1 and 2, the starting point of the exhibition and where visitors are introduced to the origins behind the manufacture of tiles.

ARAB INFLUENCE

The Moors introduced the art of tile-making to Spain and Portugal. The word azulejo comes from the Arabic zellij, or alzuleycha, which means "small polished stone" and refers to a ceramic piece, usually squared, with one side glazed.

From the 16th century onwards, Portugal started producing its own decorative tiles. Early examples drew heavily on Moorish style and technique, and materials and photographs explain the procedure behind the manufacture and decoration of these tiles.

There are two stunning examples of Moorish influenced tiles that you should look out for: the Compositions with aztiles ulejos with Islamic motifs. Manufactured in Seville, Spain around 1500-1550, this pair of extraordinary Hispano-Arab panels dazzle in their complex geometric design. Flecked with yellow, green, blue, and white, the faience, or tin-glazed colours, are still bold and bright, and both are displayed complete and undamaged.

The scene-stealer, however, is the dramatic Nossa Senhora da Vida (Our Lady of Life), a huge altarpiece dating from 1580, manufactured using a technique known as maiolica, where the artist paints directly onto prepared tiles using several colours that don't run during the firing process.

Five meters in height and nearly the same in width, the panel is composed of 1,798 tiles in vivid hues. Its central theme is The Adoration of the Shepherds.

PAINTED CERAMIC TILES OF THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURIES

The timeline moves forward as you continue to browse the museum, and by Rooms 6 and 7, you've entered the 17th century and the Mannerist and early Baroque periods.

Here, carpet tiles - so-called because they imitated the patterns of Moorish rugs - are displayed as splendid polychrome faience wall panels, mainly in white, yellow, and blue. Don't miss the showpiece c. 1670 Tiled Altar Frontal, a particularly exuberant work brought alive by motifs of exotic birds and oriental themes.

Diverting slightly from the theme of the exhibition, the adjacent Casa Perfeitíssima (Perfect House) is a room dedicated to Queen D. Leonor, who founded the Convento da Madre de Deus in 1509. The painting on the wall is the fabulously detailed View of Jerusalem. The oil on oak is dated 1517 and is from the Flemish school.

Upstairs, the exhibition continues to highlight the Baroque but also introduces visitors to the Neoclassical period and the 20th century.

As its name suggests, the Sala da Caça (Hunting Room) features late 17th-century panels depicting hunting scenes and wild animals, such as lions painted in a naïve style by artisans rather than artists.

The figurative wall panels displayed in Rooms 10 and 11 exemplify the development of Portugal's own style of azulejos, the familiar blue and white tiles seen everywhere throughout Lisbon and Portugal. The wall-long Alexander Fighting the Persians (1745) is a particularly animated example. In Room 12, look out for an anomaly, a beautiful and highly ornate gilded wood fountain dating from the second half of the 18th century and probably German in origin.

THE MODERN ERA

Much of the second level is devoted to late 19th- and 20th-century azulejos and pieces to look out for include an unusual figurative ceramic drain tile (1900) complete with a spout for a mouth and Butterfly and Ears of Corn, crafted by Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro (1846-1905), Portugal's most celebrated caricaturist and potter.

Another renowned ceramic artist, Maria Keil (1914-2012) is also represented, as is Júlio Pomar. Examples of their tile mosaics can be seen decorating some of Lisbon's underground metro stations.