Corda seca tile

The term ‘azulejos’ is popularly used to refer to the tiles in Portugal. Over the years, Portuguese tiles have emerged as one of the most attractive architectural features of the country. The beauty and exquisiteness of these multicolored designed tiles can be observed in the country of Portugal in a wide variety of locations from the walls and floors of the churches to the pavements running by the roadside. It is believed that the Moors were the first to have imported this term ‘azulejos’ in the Iberian peninsula of which Portuguese forms a part. But in the periods following the 15th century, the features dominating the Portuguese tiles usually followed the Spanish tradition. These tiles are extremely colorful and are used to display both incidents of the past as well as geometrically patterned designs.

The brightly colored and ornate Portuguese tiles or azulejos are not indigenous to Portugal and in fact the used of these polished or glazed tiles had been primarily introduced in the country of Egypt. However in the present era, Portuguese tiles have been noted for their exquisite styling and beauty. The corda seca tiles which are prevalent in Portugal at present were actually imported from the Seville region of Spain which is extremely well-known for its ceramic products and tile production. The corda seca or dry cord tiles are not a recent product but their origin can be traced back to some eras in the 15th century. Precisely it is during this period that the Spanish influences began to make its impact upon the Portuguese tiles. These corda seca tiles are characterized by a set of dark lines and here it can be noted that these dark lines are actually painted on the tiles with a mix of manganese and linseed oil and this mix is of great aid during the process of firing.