An interdisciplinary team from the 2LEGACY project, funded by IN2PAST, went to the Manufacture et Musée Nationaux de Sèvres, in the outskirts of Paris, France, in the beginning of February, to study Charles Lepierre’s collection of Portuguese ceramics.

This scientific collection was sent to the Sévres Museum in 1897 by the French chemist based in Portugal, who gathered raw materials and objects showcasing the Portuguese ceramic industry at the request of Édouard Garnier, the museum’s curator.

Project 2LEGACY: ‘Exploring the role of raw materials in Portuguese ceramic crafts to bring Lepierre’s legacy to the future’ aims to explore the role of endogenous clay in traditional ceramics production, both historically, based on Lepierre’s legacy, and in contemporary practices, with the cities of Estremoz and Barcelos serving ‘as living labs to explore knowledge-based strategies that will enhance heritage and regenerate craft production.

The research team was welcomed by Christine Vivet-Peclet, curator of the European collection (1800-1945) at Sèvres – Manufacture et Musée Nationaux (SMMN), and archivist Lara Cavallo. 2LEGACY’s principal investigator (PI), conservation scientist Mathilda Coutinho, co-PI and geologist Patrícia Moita, and conservation scientist Catarina Miguel, all from HERCULES – University of Évora / IN2PAST, along with Fernando Castro, materials engineer from the University of Minho, analysed the raw materials and technologies used in Portuguese ceramic production, emphasizing the role of 19th-century endogenous clay, while historian and museologist Isabel Maria Fernandes (Lab2PT – University of Minho / IN2PAST) worked on the documentation and inventory of the collection.

Analyses using a portable XRF spectrometer and hyperspectral imaging (HSI) provided valuable insights into the chemical composition and colour palette. Also as part of the mission, Ana Fonseca and Inês Crujo, from the Municipality of Estremoz, studied and photographed the Estremoz ceramic collection.

SMMN, Município de Estremoz (Alentejo, Portugal) and the Estremoz pottery association ADOE (Associação Dinamizadora da Olaria de Estremoz), founded by Inês Crujo, are partner institutions of project 2LEGACY, as is the Pottery Museum (Museu de Olaria) in Barcelos (North of Portugal).