Ramalho Generation

The craft/art of kneading and molding clay to the (un)limited imagination of the potters of Barcelos dates back as far as the depth of the craters gouged into the earth from which the potters extract their raw material. The potters, with their nimble hands and boundless creativity, work to reinvent everyday utensils into ingenious toys and candidly mischievous figurines. Passed down from generation to generation, there were many unknown artisans who established the art and whose names were not recorded in history. All of them contributed to the construction of the identity of the pottery region of Barcelos, but probably no other family gave as much renown to our clays as the Ramalho family.

Almost 130 years separate Rosa Ramalho's birth from this exhibition, which celebrates the family's legacy. It is an exhibition that spans two centuries, featuring a selection of the most representative and significant pieces by each of the protagonists, in an attempt to understand the evolution of the Ramalhos' figurative art in its many interpretations. It is with great pleasure that the Pottery Museum invites you to this challenge and this journey through time!