The first public presentation of results of project 2LEGACY will take place at a meeting to be held in Barcelos, North of Portugal, on May 16th and 17th, under the motto ‘Uniting knowledge: pottery and clay figures’, aiming to create a space for knowledge exchange between researchers, institutions, potters and figure makers.

The first day of the meeting, in the Auditorium of Museu de Olaria (Pottery Museum), will be dedicated to nine presentations by members of team 2LEGACY and collaborators of this exploratory project funded by IN2PAST, which explores the role of endogenous clay in traditional ceramics production, both historically, based on the legacy of French chemist Charles Lepierre – who in 1898 published Estudo Chimico e Technologico sobre a Ceramica Portugueza Moderna (Chemical and Technological Study of Portuguese Modern Ceramics) – and in contemporary practices.

Based on archive documentation and publications, Lab2PT – University of Minho / IN2PAST researcher Isabel Maria Fernandes will trace the history of the offer of Lepierre’s collection of Portuguese ceramics to the Sèvres Museum, in France, while project PI Mathilda Coutinho (HERCULES – University of Évora / IN2PAST) focuses on the material study of the collection to explore how this legacy can valorise and inspire traditional ceramic practices.

CRIA – NOVA FCSH / IN2PAST researcher Sónia Mota Ribeiro collected testimonies from Estremoz and Barcelos to address the relationship between raw material and artisans. Participants will also be able to discuss the importance of chemical analysis of archaeological ceramics (Fernando Castro, DEM – University of Minho), historical notes on Estremoz Faience (Hugo Guerreiro, Estremoz Musem/ Municipality and CIDEHUS – University of Évora), the illustration of ceramic production in 19th century Portugal (Rita Gaspar, Natural History and Science Museum, University of Porto), cross-referencing analytical and documentary results (Ana Fonseca, Estremoz Musem/ Municipality), memories of Coimbrões (Vila Nova de Gaia) pottery (Manuela Ribeiro, Porto City Council) and ceramics in the collections of the D. Diogo Sousa Museum of Archaeology, in Braga (Maria José Sousa and Cristina Braga, D. Diogo de Sousa Museum / Museus e Monumentos de Portugal).

Check out the full programme in PDF.

Admission is free, with prior registration required via the online form available at https://tinyurl.com/52uryk93.

May 17th will be spent visiting various local potteries and figure makers.