Technical identification of the earliest productions of faience tiles in Lisbon

Abstract

During the last year, the Museu Nacional do Azulejo (MNAz- Portuguese National Azulejo Museum), the Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil (LNEC) and the HERCULES Laboratory of the University of Evora made a joint effort in the instrumental study of 16th century faience azulejos, aimed at identifying those of Portuguese origin based on their composition and the technology used and thus establish on firmer ground the origins of the production of faience azulejos in Lisbon towards a candidacy of Portuguese azulejos to the World Heritage List. This communication presents some of the first results.