Faiancas Artisticas Bordalo Pinheiro
Apartado 259
2503 Caldas da Rainha, Portugal
Telephone: 062 34353 and 34330
This company is the successor to the original Pinheiro factory except in a different location and having separate ownership. The great attraction here is its museum which occupies the former home of Manuel Gustavo Pinheiro and contains a nearly complete set of the original molds and casts. It is a must visit when in Caldas! Also stop in the showroom. The company still produces a number of Pinheiro Palissy pieces including some attractive platters and several art nouveau tiles based on the original designs.

Museu de Ceramica
Rua Dr. Illidio Amado
2500 Caldas da Rainha, Portugal
Telephone: 062 2 31 57
Fax: 062 84 34 28
Hours: Daily 10:00 am to 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Closed Monday.
Former residence of the Visconde de Sacavem, this spacious home was opened in 1983 and contains a large collection of Caldas ceramics including many examples of Portuguese Palissy ware. A must stop when visiting Caldas!

Museu Jose Malhoa
D. Carlos I Park
Caldas da Rainha, Portugal
Telephone: 062 345 11; Sunday 062 83 19 84
Hours: Daily 10:00 am to 12:30 pm and 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Closed Monday.
Named after a Portuguese painter, this former boathouse opened in 1934 contains a comprehensive collection of Malhoa's works together with many other fine and decorative arts including some ceramics by Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro. Worth visiting if you're in Caldas.

Lisbon

Museu de Artes Decorativas Portuguesas
Largo das Portas do Sol, 2
Lisbon, Portugal
Telephone: 886 21 83 / 4 / 5
Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 10:00 am to 8:00 pm, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Closed Monday.
Also known as Ricardo do Espirito Santo Silva Foundation, Duarte Pinto Coelho Collection, this former 17th-century palace contains a relatively unexciting collection of Portuguese decorative arts; however, the Coelho collection also includes about 200 pieces of Portuguese Palissy ware including some excellent examples illustrated in a museum catalog. Unfortunately, none was exhibited when we last visited in 1998. Might be worth a visit if some of the better examples are on display. Much of the building houses a well known school for artists and artisans.

Museu Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro
Campo Grande 382
Lisbon, Portugal
Telephone: 01 759 08 16
Hours: Daily 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Closed Monday.
This former private mansion and single artist museum displays the most comprehensive collection of Pinheiro ceramics including a number of unique works, both large and small. This should be your FIRST stop in Lisbon!

A word about attributions: The works of Bernard Palissy or his workshop are not known to be signed, marked, or otherwise identified. Many of his contemporaries and followers from such places as Le Pré d' Auge, Manerbe, and Avon, neglected to mark similarly designed works. As a result, it is impossible to attribute with absolute certainty any work as being from the hand or workshop of Bernard Palissy. While most museums no longer make specific attributions, be aware that some are still inaccurate.

The only works that are very likely from the workshop of Bernard Palissy are the fragments found during the Tuileries grotto excavation around 1880, or from Palissy's Parisian workshop during excavations in the 1980s and 1990s. Some of these are displayed at the Louvre, Carnavalet, National Ceramic, and National Renaissance Museums located in or near Paris. Certain other entire works, either by reason of their impeccable provenance, or by reason of their extensive analytical scrutiny, may also be authentic. Visitors should also understand that some objects at museums may be 19th-century works erroneously labeled as 16th-century.

The information contained in this section was believed to be accurate at publication. The author would be grateful if the reader would e-mail any changes, corrections, or comments. There may be additional museums that display Palissy ware other than a piece or two. Please forward particulars as well to palissy@bellatlantic.net.