We’re a little obsessed with tiles, especially those blue Iznik ones from the Ottoman Empire. And it turns out that the people of Southern Spain also love them some tiles. Here is a selection of some of our favourites. We’ve adorned the pictures with a little bit of history about azulejos tiles in Spain.
Azulejos are Portuguese and Spanish in origin, dating from the thirteenth century. Designed as a local version of Roman and Byzantine mosaics, artists juxtaposed monochrome tiles to make patterns on floors and (mostly) walls. Their popularity meant that by the fifteenth century, ceramics factories had to devise more efficient means of production. This new process involved pressing designs into the clay and then glazing in different colours before baking.
The sixteenth century marked the beginning of maiolica tiles, such as those pictured immediately below. In this style, artists paint scenes directly onto tiles, rather than using the tiles themselves as decorative elements. And of course, this became a tradition of painting onto all kinds of pottery. The Triana area in Seville became a main centre for the production of ceramic tiles, which went around the world.
The showiest example of this style in our neck of the woods appears at the Plaza de España (see featured image). Even hardcore tile fans like ourselves can get our fill of colourful azulejos here!
Azulejos, from all time periods and styles, are all over southern Spain. Also in Portugal, especially Lisbon, and in many parts of South America, where the colonial influence created great demand.
The tiles are gorgeous, naturally, but they also have a practical function: they help to cool buildings down in the Spanish summer heat.
One of our favourite things to do in Spain is to walk down the street and poke our heads into open doorways. We’re often rewarded by the sight of spectacular azulejos, sometimes modern, sometimes centuries-old! We think we’ll never get tired of them!
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