Isabel Alegrete, a porcelain painter, travelled all the way from the coastal city of Aveiro to share her craft with the world. She has been an artist with Vista Alegre – one of the oldest and most iconic porcelain manufacturers in Portugal – for 37 years.

“To be showcasing my craft here in Dubai, in this global exhibition, is wonderful. Each artisan here works for a company, therefore representing a certain craft and brand, but that’s not all. We are representing our country as well, which is something much bigger than our brand, and it’s an honor”, she said.

It is hard to determine the exact origin of the ceramics artistry in Portugal, but historians and researchers have found artifacts that show traces of Arabic influence, meaning they could date back to the birth of the nation.

Playing since then an important role at the social, economic and cultural levels, Portuguese ceramics have used the power of tradition to evolve to modern days, with Portugal now being one of the top world exporters of ceramics in many sectors. The Made in Portugal label translates the perfect combination of quality and design, and a unique know-how that results from many years of experience.

Often invoked as one of the oldest arts of humankind, marquetry refers to the process of applying thin sheets of wood to a structure to form decorative patterns, designs or even pictures. Marco António is a 21-year-old artisan, whose family is dedicated to this ancient art, having founded their own brand in 2017 – Maju. 

“Our main goal at Expo Dubai is to promote the Portuguese product, a quality handmade product, which today, in an increasingly industrialized world, should be valued. We have numbered products that are unique and made only once. Visitors are delighted to see that these handmade products still exist”, he says.

As a craft, wood marquetry has a long history in Portugal. By the end of the 15th century, the country plunged in the adventure of maritime discoveries, which would bring together the most remote civilizations in the world. Meanwhile, Portuguese craftsmen created a tradition of furniture design which combined the European ancestral knowledge with new techniques learnt in the four corners of the world and the noble and exotic materials brought back from these adventures. The fusion of knowledge and materials resulted in the timeless art of Portuguese furniture making, producing pieces of extraordinary charm and high-end craftsmanship.

This art of making carved ornaments in wooden objects results in unique and exclusive pieces that have come to distinguish the Portuguese offer in this sector – an expression of the past in the days of the future.