Running the Faience Factory, Mocking the Powerful and Filling the City with Swallows: Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro in Caldas da Rainha

Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro (1846–1905) was born in Lisbon, the third of nine children of Manuel Maria Bordalo Pinheiro and Maria Augusta do Ó Carvalho Prostes.

A man of many talents, he studied at the Conservatory, the Academy of Fine Arts, the Higher Course of Letters and the School of Dramatic Art.

He became one of Portugal’s most brilliant artists and a driving force behind the artistic poster, caricature and ceramics, to name just a few.

He created some of the best-known satirical images in Portugal, such as A Política – a grande Porca (Politics, the big sow) and A Finança – o grande Cão (Finance, the big dog), not to mention the unique and ever-watchful Zé Povinho, who first appeared in 1875 in his magazine A Lanterna Mágica and became the greatest popular symbol of Portugal.

He was also a member of the famous Grupo do Leão (Lion Group), together with his brother Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro and the Caldas da Rainha-born painter José Malhoa, among other leading Portuguese artists.

In 1866 he married Elvira Ferreira de Almeida, and they had three children. The eldest, Manuel Gustavo Bordalo Pinheiro, also left his mark on our city and made a major contribution to the Bordalo legacy in Caldas.

Related: Caldas da Rainha ceramics

Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, an adopted local

Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro is one of the most prestigious figures linked to Caldas da Rainha. Although he was not from Caldas, he lived here for some years.

He excelled above all in ceramics, thanks to his talent as a ceramist and the work he did after being appointed artistic director of the Caldas da Rainha Faience Factory in 1884.

He also taught at the former Industrial and Commercial School, now the Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro Secondary School.

His creativity gave new life and energy to local ceramics, which, thanks to the fame he brought it, became an even stronger part of Caldas’ identity.

The popularity he brought to local ceramics, and the profile he gave the industry, also gave the town another cultural, artistic, social, tourist and economic attraction.

Bordalo also worked outside the faience factory, for example by accepting invitations to decorate venues and festivities, such as the receptions for King Carlos I when he came to spend a few days at the spa.

But Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro was much more than a brilliant ceramist.

A master who put Caldas on the map

With the same creativity and flair for opportunity, Bordalo also raised the profile of Caldas da Rainha through the satirical papers he published (Pontos nos ii, António Maria and A Paródia). Even before he settled in the town for work, he used them to tell the whole country about some of the most important events in local life.

With his famous sarcasm, he openly criticised local leaders, making himself an active voice in Caldas society, keen to see the town progress.

His two main targets were the administrators of the Thermal Hospital: Francisco Eduardo de Andrade Pimentel (1877–1888) and Rodrigo Maria Berquó (1888–1896).

He criticised the first for his inertia, stinginess and lack of vision, nicknamed him “Pópópim” or simply “Pim”, and called for his removal from office.

With Berquó, the problem was the opposite: too much determination. According to Bordalo, “D. Rodrigo Estraga-tudo” (Rodrigo the Wrecker) would stop at nothing to turn Caldas da Rainha into his own “Berquópolis”.

It is interesting that two of the most important figures in the history of Caldas, Berquó and Bordalo, lived at the same time and had a relationship that began cordially but turned sour over the years.

Berquó fired the first shot in 1893, when he complained about the bricks and tiles he had ordered from the Caldas da Rainha Faience Factory to build the Santo Isidoro Hospital. Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro replied with the jibes mentioned above, mocking his ideas and his refusal to see beyond them.

Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro and the progress of Caldas da Rainha

Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro was an active, determined voice who cared about the town and its progress, and contributed to local development in his own way.

His prestige made him a leading figure in local social and tourist life, which no doubt explains his election as the first chairman of the general assembly of the Commercial and Industrial Association, founded in 1902.

Like Berquó, Bordalo used his professional skills to bring prestige to the town and was respected and praised by almost everyone.

When he died, the now-defunct newspaper O Círculo das Caldas wrote that Bordalo Pinheiro had been “a most legitimate national glory and one of the men who most raised the name of Caldas da Rainha”, but also “a sincere and devoted friend, always ready to put his great talent at the service” of a town “so indebted to the great artist”.

Bordalo’s facades in Caldas

Bordalo’s presence is impossible to miss in the city. First of all, there is the Bordallo Pinheiro Faience Factory, founded in 1907 not by Rafael but by his son Manuel Gustavo, after his father’s death in 1905, which still produces the master’s most famous pieces.

Then there are the many tiled façades on Caldas buildings, many of them made by the Caldas da Rainha Faience Factory or designed by Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro himself.

Examples include the bust of Bordalo Pinheiro given by the Initiative Committee in 1927, which stands in Parque D. Carlos I, and the street named after him, considered the first street in Caldas da Rainha, which links the Thermal Hospital to the shop and museum of the Bordallo Pinheiro Faience Factory.

In 2015, as a tribute to his legacy, the city created the Bordaliana Route, a trail of twenty giant ceramic pieces based on the master’s designs.

Highlights include giant versions of some of his best-known figures, such as Zé Povinho, the Ama das Caldas (the Caldas nanny), the Polícia (policeman), the Saloia (country woman) and the Padre Cura (village priest), alongside animals such as O Gato Assanhado (the angry cat), o Lobo (the wolf) and the Andorinhas (swallows).

What the master left in Caldas for you to see

So we invite everyone to come and discover Caldas da Rainha through the presence of Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, including his most iconic ceramic creations: tiles, swallows, cats and even sardines.

Caldas da Rainha is an open-air catalogue of Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro’s work and has one of the richest collections linked to the master.

It is a place that every admirer, enthusiast and collector of Bordalo’s world will want to visit, and a great place to add new pieces to their collections.

The Bordalo heritage of Caldas includes two museums, the Ceramics Museum and the museum devoted entirely to Bordalo Pinheiro (Casa de S. Rafael), the Bordallo Pinheiro Faience Factory with its shop and outlet, where buying his pieces is the order of the day, and many other tributes spread across the city.

Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro is one of Portugal’s most important artists, and Caldas da Rainha is one of the best places to discover his historic and artistic legacy.

If you are looking for a different theme for a trip, want to learn more about Portugal’s history and think Caldas da Rainha would be a good choice, we would be happy to show you the city in an original way, full of history and stories with Bordalo Pinheiro at their heart.

Guided tours on Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro

Our guided tour of the Bordaliana Route is a great way to discover Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro’s artistic legacy in Caldas da Rainha and, at the same time, the charms and treasures of our city.

Frequently Asked Questions

Was Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro from Caldas da Rainha?

No. He was born in Lisbon in 1846, but lived in Caldas for some years and became artistic director of the Faience Factory in 1884.

What is the Bordaliana Route?

A trail created in 2015 that links the places in the city connected to the artist, including giant versions of figures such as Zé Povinho, the Ama das Caldas and the Angry Cat.

Where can I see and buy Bordalo Pinheiro pieces in Caldas?

At the Ceramics Museum, at the museum dedicated to the artist (Casa de S. Rafael) and at the Bordallo Pinheiro Factory shop and outlet.

More history of Caldas da Rainha

• Queen Leonor, the founder
• King Carlos I and Caldas da Rainha
• Rodrigo Berquó, the man of the waters
• José Malhoa, the naturalist painter
• Francisco Grandella and Foz do Arelho
• Caldas da Rainha ceramics

This article was put together by the GoCaldas team, the local travel guide to Caldas da Rainha.