About

The factory

The ceramics factory Estrela de Conimbriga is located in the town of Condeixa-a-Nova, in the coastal strip of the central region of Portugal, about 192 km north of Lisbon, 120km south of Porto, and a mere 12 km from Coimbra, the main city of the central region.

Founded in 1975, actually with about 50 employees, the factory has been devoted to the production of Artistic and Decorative Faiance, and to the Utilitarian Tableware of high quality and different decorations.

 

The decorative faiance are inspired on portuguese traditional ceramic of XVII and XVIII centuries and hispano arab, recreated and adapted to our days, keeping the ceramic process of the artisanal, paying special attention to the decoration that is always handmade.

 

On tableware line, the factory works in strengh collaboration with their clients, in the creation of new models and designs, to meet the consumers needs and market tendency.

Placing their products in may countries like USA, France, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Hungary, Bolivia, Japan, Norway and Finland, Estrela de Conimbriga guarantees the quality and innovation of their ceramics, in order to count with client's trust and satisfaction.

Influence

The history of the influence of the Orient in the beginnings of 17th century earthenware is closely linked to the discovery of the maritime route to India, when Vasco da Gama, on the first exploratory journey in 1498, brought back Chinese porcelain for King Manuel. On the second journey, Pedro Alvares Cabral brought back more porcelain for the king. This was the beginning of the creation of a taste. Later, a Portuguese governor of Malacca, Pedro de Faria, ordered a platter in China with his name and the year 1541 inscribed on it in Portuguese. The Chinese potter marked it with the 15th century nien-Ho, undoubtedly as a means of circumventing the imperial decree forbidding exportation. There was, however, a considerable contraband trade, whereby Macau became a major exportation hub at around the time of the end of the Ming dynasty (Sir Harry Farner, Oriental Blue and White).

It was we who expanded the trade of porcelain from China to Europe via the new maritime route, at the time when we basically held the monopoly of Indian Ocean traffic in our hands. It was only on the foundation of the Dutch, British, and finally, French East India Companies in the 17th century that our exclusive dominance was lost. But our 16th century earthenware was naturally the first to attempt to imitate the Chinese porcelain which had enchanted us so much and cost us so dearly…

Later, in 1619, on Philip III of Spain´s visit to Portugal, welcomed with festive bows, that of the Portuguese potters, decorated with the emblems of the respective art, is described by the chronicler Lavanha as featuring, among others symbols of the craft, a potter´s wheel and a porcelain vase made in Lisbon and copied from China, with the following verses at the base:

Here reigns sublime sovereign
Offering you foreign art
Manufactured in the kingdom of Portugal
Which used to be purchased from China at such expense

History

1975

Founding of the company

Founding of the ceramics manufacturer Estrela de Conimbriga in the town of Condeixa-a-Nova

1980

School of training and internationalization

Founding of the Ceramic Training School on the factory premises and the start of exports, mainly to the USA

1992

The international market

Entry into the Scandinavian market

2012

The international market

First customers in Bolivia and Russia

2013

Medal of Merit and the first order for Brazil

Awarded the Medal of Merit – Gold Level by the Municipality of Condeixa-a-Nova and the first order for Brazil

2014

International Trade Fair

Participation at the Index Trade Fair – Dubai

Manufacturing Process

Since the arrival of all materials at the factory until the shipment of the final product to the client, our manufacturing process is mostly handmade.

Our experienced artisans dedicate all attention and care to each piece and the result is a unique product with character and personality.

Learn about our process here, step by step.

   

Step 1

Everything begins on the arrival of the materials for working the clay. Once the paste has been made it is placed in the die, coming out in small rolls and dispatched to the respective machinery: roller and press, where the clay is shaped.

Step 2

Another manufacturing process involves the excess clay, which when put into the turbo thinner produces a liquid paste which is channeled into the filling section, which contains the product moulds. Once full, the moulds hold the liquid paste for around 90 minutes, and the surplus liquid is then drained off.

Step 3

After a few minutes in the drier the piece is sent to the “jaulles and finishing section”, where it is finished. It is cleaned, washed and its edges are honed. It is then sent to the kiln where it remains for around 24 hours.

Step 4

After leaving the kiln the piece is sent to the oven for the first time, where it remains for around 12 hours at a temperature of 1050 degrees.

Step 5

Next, the painting section comprises several steps: the sketches are made with coal dust and the piece is profiled and given colour.

The principal representation of our 17th century earthenware is the so-called spontaneous and miniature blue and coloured "Desenho miúdo", with fine contours, mainly featuring colourful landscapes with scenarios of animals and sugar cane fields in the centre of the pieces.

Step 6

Once this entire process has been concluded the piece is glazed in one of two manners: Transparent glazing, when the piece is painted first and then glazed in order to obtain a brighter shine;

Opaque glazing, when the process is inverted, resulting in a less intense shine.

Step 7

Once painted, the piece is placed in the oven and baked for around 12 hours. After having been baked all the pieces are submitted to a rigorous quality control process, packaged and delivered to our customers.