About Us
About Us

175 of History

To tell the history of Viúva Lamego is to tell the history of the Portuguese tile.

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49

Officially set up by António da Costa Lamego

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A factory in Intendente

Built between 1849 and 1865, the building which is located in Intendente had the entirety of its façade decorated in figurative tiles, designed by the factory’s artistic director, Ferreira das Tabuletas, representing a pioneering example of the use of tiles as a means of advertising. The building, which is nowadays classified as a building of public interest, is one of the most emblematic in the city, and is an ex-libris for 19th century naive style tiles.

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Viúva Lamego (Widow Lamego), the woman who gave her name to the factory

Originally the pottery workshop of António Costa Lamego, it later became a factory and adopted the name Viúva Lamego when António Lamego’s wife took on its management, following the death of her husband, in 1876.

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30

From clay to tile

Early on, the factory mainly produced utilitarian items made of red clay, tiles in white clay and some earthenware. With the arrival of the 20th century, the tile became Viúva Lamego’s main product, and by then it was already a factory focused on artists, with working ateliers made available to them. In the 1930s, the industrial arm was moved to Palma de Baixo.

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19
92

The year the factory moved to Sintra

In 1992 the factory was transferred to Abrunheira, in Sintra, where it is still located. The building at Largo do Intendente is now open to the public for the exhibition and sale of tiles.

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Preserving the legacy with an eye on the future

Our history is as much about fidelity to the past, with artisanal production techniques, as it is about looking to the future, with the constant development of new approaches and techniques, always focusing on innovation and sustainability.

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The Tile

The Tile

Tiles have been used as a form of expression in the most varied of contexts for over five centuries. More than a merely aesthetic option, the Portuguese tile reflects cultural, social and economic influences which are inseparable from the History of the country.

All about the tile