3. Bordallo Pinheiro
Date of foundation: 1844
Raphael Bordallo Pinheiro is one of the most influential people of the nineteenth century Portuguese culture, with a remarkable production, particularly regarding the areas of humoristic drawing, caricature and ceramic creation. His most recognizable work is Zé Povinho, an image representing poor and oppressed people.
Zé Povinho
In 1884 Bordallo began his ceramics production at the Fábrica de Faianças in Caldas, revealing the Portuguese everyday life with remarkable boldness and critical sense through pieces of great technical work, artistic and creative quality. Bordallo Pinheiro developed azulejos (blue tiles), panels, pots, table centerpieces, vases busts, fountain basins, pitchers, plates, perfume bottles, vases and gigantic animals, etc.
Manuel Gustavo Bordallo Pinheiro, Raphael’s son, kept this ceramic tradition alive and the factory was kept in the family till 2008, when a serious crisis took the company to be purchased by Grupo Visabeira. That was the way to ensure a productive and historical continuity, keeping the memory of the founders alive and responding to a constantly evolving market.
Raphael Bordallo Pinheiro’s legacy is inspiring, and his timeless point of view is perpetuated in the pieces that are now reaching a global market.
Grupo Visabeira also acquired GVAA (Grupo Vista Alegre Atlantis), a group composed by Vista Alegre, a porcelain factory founded in 1824 and Atlantis, a crystal factory founded in 1972.