Here is a lovely ragwort leaf with ladybird plate which is both decorative and funtional. At 14cm wide it makes an ideal serving plate for serving canapés to your guests, whike the ladybird will certainly provoke conversation.
Is this what makes Bordallo Pinheiro special ?
Each ragwork leaf with ladybird is painstakingly produced in the Bordello Pinheiro’s factory in Caldas de Tainha (The Queens Baths). The town is known as the “Capital of Portuguese Pottery”. The local clay is reputed to have some special properties which may be linked to the town ‘spa’ status. Apparently Queen Leonor of Portugal wanted to know why the local women bathed in such smelly water. The women said that the water cured them of illnesses so she tried it herself and was impressed with the results. So was born the Queen’s Baths…. and that same water permeates the clay used at the factory today.
Further Information
You can find out more about Raphael Bordallo Pinheiro (and the factory) here. Why not watch a fascinating 5 minute video about the philosophy and production Bordallo Pinheiro here. It’s in Portuguese but has subtitles in English and contains interviews with those who work there now as well as the production technique and comes complete with a Rossini soundtrack.