House Of Filigree Just Opened In Porto ♦ There is a new space in the city of Porto that tells the story of Portuguese filigree. It’s called House of Filigree, the Filigree House, and it opened its doors at 10 Rua do Almada, where you can see dozens of objects – from a neo-Manueline vault, the so-called silver reliquary of the first navigators. mid-twentieth century, bought at auction to be part of this collection; going through gold earrings and filigree making tools and tools. Secrets From Portugal brings you all about this museum, that aims to preserve the amazing Portuguese art, filigree.
♦ Discover All About The House Of Filigree In Porto & Subscribe to Our Newsletter ♦
The House of Filigree (House of Filigree) opened this Friday, December 6th, at Rua do Almada, in Porto with the aim of promoting filigree goldsmithing techniques. image004 (12) House of Filigree is provided by Luisa and Pedro Rosas, sons of David Rosas, founder of the company that bears his name, specializing in high jewellery and watchmaking. The Minister of Culture, Graça Fonseca, and the Mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira, attended the inauguration.
The aim of this space is to fight for the preservation of handcrafted filigree, advances Luísa Rosas, designer and responsible for the project that had an initial investment of 1.5 million euros. The trip to the world of filigree begins with the screening of a short film, as part of the permanent exhibition under the motto “Portuguese Filigree. From the skill of the technique to the elegance of use ”with a collection of pieces of the most emblematic typologies dating from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, as well as various instruments used in the production of this technique.
Visitors are aware of how filigree is manufactured, starting with the production of gold thread. Then in another room are the instruments and tools used, from tongs to the balance, to the 1930s pull-out bench. There are still photographs, some dating from 1907, illustrating the filigree of that era, accompanied by “notes explaining how the production process was done ”, describes Paulo Valente, curator of the Casa da Filigrana.
In another room, three artisans work gold and silver pieces that will later be part of the Heritage collection and will be sold in the museum shop. In this live workshop, Susana, one of the artisans, describes how she makes the traditional silver heart that “then fills like a jigsaw” while working the thread by hand.
The trip through the museum leads us to “showy, showy jewellery,” describes the curator. We observed other pieces from pending, through reliquaries, Maltese crosses and curbs. There is also a miniature of a 1966 caravel made of gilded silver, and other decorative objects such as Rabelo boats alluding to the transport of wine on the Douro River. This collection is the result of research done over two years and many of the pieces were bought at auctions in Germany and the USA. Others belong to the private collection of the family of goldsmith David Rosas.
It was the children, Luisa and Pedro Rosas, who gave life to this new space, inaugurated in the presence of the mayor and the minister of culture. “We intend to value the Portuguese filigree against the threat of trivialization that it has been subjected to in recent times by the proliferation of mass-produced industrial injection moulds,” argues Luísa Rosas. The designer, who belongs to the fifth generation of the family of goldsmiths, warns of the small number of artisans in the country and recalls that they are concentrated in Gondomar and Póvoa de Lanhoso.
In addition to the museum, designed by architect Nuno Graça Moura, there is also the artisans’ atelier and a shop with pieces produced there and other high-quality filigree jewellery by Luísa Rosas that can cost up to 12 thousand euros. On this journey from metal casting to jewellery making and exhibits, tickets are free for children up to 12, five euros from 12 to 17, and ten euros for adults – the value of each ticket can be converted into one. Filigree piece.
The 400 square meters Casa da Filigrana, after an initial investment of 1.5 million euros, with the main mission of fighting for the preservation of handmade filigree. “We believe it can be a must-see place in Porto,” argues Luísa Rosas, hoping that this museum could be part of the city’s “cultural itinerary”.
Filigree jewellery consists of quilled threads of super-fine gold or silver, typically fashioned into delicate pendants, earrings and rings that resemble a glittery lace, and is a form of intricate metalwork. It may span from delicate jewellery to cast-iron railings and balustrades.
