Schools of excellence
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competence PRESERVE FINE PORTUGUESE CRAFTSMANSHIP AND CREATE MASTERPIECES
mote the historical and intangible legacy of our heritage. We want to create awareness and give dignity to the crafts and popular history of an ancient city that is determined to survive. To this end, we organise guided tours of the Museum and of the Arts and Crafts Workshops, conferences and exhibitions with contemporary artists, artist-in-residence programmes (such as Sara Bran’s) and special projects on the theme of «artist versus artisan: artistic handicrafts», of which the exhibition of Joana Vasconcelos at Versailles is an outstanding example. The Museum houses works of art that are valuable and rare. And the objects created in our traditional workshops are equally rare. In the Woodwork Workshop dedicated to Splitting, Cabinet-making, Inlay Work, Woodcarving and Polishing, for example, training embraces every aspect of the craft, from selecting the appropriate variety of wood to the preparation of the mould, up to the creation of the finished piece. A unique competence is involved in every step of the process that leads to the creation of a new piece of furniture or to the restoration of an antique. In the Metals Workshop we can witness the use of ancestral techniques in Casting, Chiselling, Metalworking, Tinwork and in particular in
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Gold Beating – a unique profession on a national level. The Workshop of Book-binding and Decoration teaches the techniques of binding, of the making of refined marbled paper and of meticulously gilded decorations. The burnished gilding or silver plating processes used in the Decorative Painting and Gilding Workshop are a rarity: painting and gilding incorporated in pieces of furniture, walls and painted ceilings or other surfaces are carried out here. The Textiles and Upholstery Workshop trains for the production of Arraiolos carpets with wool dyed using ancient methods. It is also involved in the conservation and restoration of textiles, embroidery and antique oriental carpets; the production of hand-made textile decorations is also taught here. Lastly, the Drawing Office produces full-size drawings of pieces of furniture or other objects. The projects are entirely hand-drawn, including all the ornamental details such as locks, inlays, wood sculptures or other reliefs necessary to interpret their shape and structure. Accordingly, every visit is more than just a journey amidst the beauty of the objects. It is also about immersing oneself in the precision of the techniques performed here with passion, care and excellence.
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