Vista Alegre and its chess sets
a report prepared for the German CCI meeting
by Nicholas Lanier
by Nicholas Lanier
Vista Alegre has been one of the principal names in porcelain for over 150 years - and today, after several ups and downs in recent days, continues to be a high class purveyor of exquisite table ware, and artistic figurines. Like most of the principal porcelain manufactories, Vista Alegre has also produced chess sets - and continues to do so - this is their story.
The beginning
The Vista Alegre (VA for short) Company was founded as far back as 1824 through a Royal license granted by king John VI. to the shipping and tobacco magnate José Ferreira Pinto Basto (1) , who wanted to broaden his arc of business activities. In fact, Pinto Basto had prepared his venture to produce porcelain and glass for several years in advance, via experiments in Lisbon, establishing contacts with specialists, the gathering of information. He also proceeded to acquire the Quinta da Ermida property including the chapel of Vista Alegre (=joyful view) in the lagoon area of Aveiro, near the hamlet Ilhavo, - an area rich in sands, wood, and diverse fine earths essential for the production of ceramics and glass - and then proceeded to add all the surrounding grounds. Production at first centered on glass ware, while the processes for making porcelain where being studied and experimented. Only after high quality kaolin clay was discovered by chance nearby did the production start in serious and by the time of the death of the founder in 1839, Vista Alegre was producing excellent porcelain ware, a fact confirmed at the 1855 Universal Exhibition in Paris where VA ware was showered with praise.
Porcelain was familiar to the Portuguese - it was Portuguese ships who first brought fine chinese porcelains to Europe, as ballast in their shipping ventures - the rich holdings in Portuguese Museums and private collections of Ming blue, Famille rose and Famille vert porcelains still provide ample proof of the principal role of Portugal in introducing porcelain to Europe and the world. Though the Portuguese kingdom was rapidly surpassed by its Dutch and English competitors in trading with China, porcelain continued to be imported and sold via Lisbon, and formed part of every noble or wealthy household in Portugal.
Today , the Vista Alegre quarter - a quite separate bairro of the township Ilhavo which owes most of its development to the existence of the VA factory, is a prime example of a 19th century manufactory complex, involving both the production facilities, as well as housing for the work force and their families, a school, and a nursery, medical facilities, the church, a fire brigade, even a theatre, and a band room, warehouses of all sorts, gardens, boiler houses and electricity facilities, plus mechanical workshops of all sorts. Years ago, the old factory buildings have been transformed into a Museum, still starring the first vertical furnaces for firing porcelain, as well as a representative selection of the pieces produced over the years, a huge archive both documentary and of molds, laboratories and facilities for special shows and social events. The venerable buildings around the central tree-shaded courtyard today house a café, three sales shops for Vista Alegre porcelain of top and secondary quality, a five-star hotel, as well as an art school for the locals. The somewhat delapidated former social housing is being prepared for future real estate developments, in accord with the calling of the present owners of Vista Alegre.
The beginning
The Vista Alegre (VA for short) Company was founded as far back as 1824 through a Royal license granted by king John VI. to the shipping and tobacco magnate José Ferreira Pinto Basto (1) , who wanted to broaden his arc of business activities. In fact, Pinto Basto had prepared his venture to produce porcelain and glass for several years in advance, via experiments in Lisbon, establishing contacts with specialists, the gathering of information. He also proceeded to acquire the Quinta da Ermida property including the chapel of Vista Alegre (=joyful view) in the lagoon area of Aveiro, near the hamlet Ilhavo, - an area rich in sands, wood, and diverse fine earths essential for the production of ceramics and glass - and then proceeded to add all the surrounding grounds. Production at first centered on glass ware, while the processes for making porcelain where being studied and experimented. Only after high quality kaolin clay was discovered by chance nearby did the production start in serious and by the time of the death of the founder in 1839, Vista Alegre was producing excellent porcelain ware, a fact confirmed at the 1855 Universal Exhibition in Paris where VA ware was showered with praise.
Porcelain was familiar to the Portuguese - it was Portuguese ships who first brought fine chinese porcelains to Europe, as ballast in their shipping ventures - the rich holdings in Portuguese Museums and private collections of Ming blue, Famille rose and Famille vert porcelains still provide ample proof of the principal role of Portugal in introducing porcelain to Europe and the world. Though the Portuguese kingdom was rapidly surpassed by its Dutch and English competitors in trading with China, porcelain continued to be imported and sold via Lisbon, and formed part of every noble or wealthy household in Portugal.
Today , the Vista Alegre quarter - a quite separate bairro of the township Ilhavo which owes most of its development to the existence of the VA factory, is a prime example of a 19th century manufactory complex, involving both the production facilities, as well as housing for the work force and their families, a school, and a nursery, medical facilities, the church, a fire brigade, even a theatre, and a band room, warehouses of all sorts, gardens, boiler houses and electricity facilities, plus mechanical workshops of all sorts. Years ago, the old factory buildings have been transformed into a Museum, still starring the first vertical furnaces for firing porcelain, as well as a representative selection of the pieces produced over the years, a huge archive both documentary and of molds, laboratories and facilities for special shows and social events. The venerable buildings around the central tree-shaded courtyard today house a café, three sales shops for Vista Alegre porcelain of top and secondary quality, a five-star hotel, as well as an art school for the locals. The somewhat delapidated former social housing is being prepared for future real estate developments, in accord with the calling of the present owners of Vista Alegre.
Vista Alegre today
In 1979 the enterprise, still in the possession of the Pinto Basto family, faltered after many years of steadily more sombre fortunes. Faced with the prospect of a major bankruptcy, the family sold the majority of shares to the highly dynamic Visabeira group, a conglomerate centered around the installation of modern telecommunications and high voltage electric line installations - that is where the money is being made nowadays! Visabeira subsequently also snapped up the Fabrica de Fayença Bordallo Pinheiro in Caldas da Rainha on the verge of bankruptcy, and the glass producer Atlantis was part of the VA acquisition - today the VA group with its 11 separate companies figures as the 6th largest maker of ceramics and tableware worldwide (2).
Vista Alegre porcelain is used on some of the most exclusive tables in the world, it is especially renowned for the fine artistic quality of its painted ware, and has throughout times collaborated with a long line of renowned painters and artists, to design and decorate its figurines, plates and collections. The Museum itself a highly attractive and popular destination for a constant stream of tourists and travel groups, who admire both the historical pieces, the always changing display of sculpture, pots and plates and sundry objects designed and decorated by major Portuguese artists.
In 1979 the enterprise, still in the possession of the Pinto Basto family, faltered after many years of steadily more sombre fortunes. Faced with the prospect of a major bankruptcy, the family sold the majority of shares to the highly dynamic Visabeira group, a conglomerate centered around the installation of modern telecommunications and high voltage electric line installations - that is where the money is being made nowadays! Visabeira subsequently also snapped up the Fabrica de Fayença Bordallo Pinheiro in Caldas da Rainha on the verge of bankruptcy, and the glass producer Atlantis was part of the VA acquisition - today the VA group with its 11 separate companies figures as the 6th largest maker of ceramics and tableware worldwide (2).
Vista Alegre porcelain is used on some of the most exclusive tables in the world, it is especially renowned for the fine artistic quality of its painted ware, and has throughout times collaborated with a long line of renowned painters and artists, to design and decorate its figurines, plates and collections. The Museum itself a highly attractive and popular destination for a constant stream of tourists and travel groups, who admire both the historical pieces, the always changing display of sculpture, pots and plates and sundry objects designed and decorated by major Portuguese artists.
The chess sets
Porcelain started to be made in Portugal fairly late, compared to other European countries. And VA also tarried a bit to produce its first set of chess men in porcelain. The impulse seems to have come from the refugees - emigrated artists and workmen who joined the factory in the years of the ascent of the National Socialists in Central Europe, as well as after with the rise of the Iron Curtain across Central Europe, effectively sealing off the Communist bloc from the West.
One of the artists who migrated to Portugal was the Belgian painter Jeannine Hetreau (3) , who was artistic director of Vista Alegre between 1957 and 1966. Jeannine Hetreau, a painter of delicate and highly stylized designs, possibly on instigation by the factory management, chose the perennial motive of Spanish and Portuguese history as her inspiration - the reconquista. Her design combined the pervading theme of Christians against Moors with some typical french features, that is, bust figurines on balusters.
Porcelain started to be made in Portugal fairly late, compared to other European countries. And VA also tarried a bit to produce its first set of chess men in porcelain. The impulse seems to have come from the refugees - emigrated artists and workmen who joined the factory in the years of the ascent of the National Socialists in Central Europe, as well as after with the rise of the Iron Curtain across Central Europe, effectively sealing off the Communist bloc from the West.
One of the artists who migrated to Portugal was the Belgian painter Jeannine Hetreau (3) , who was artistic director of Vista Alegre between 1957 and 1966. Jeannine Hetreau, a painter of delicate and highly stylized designs, possibly on instigation by the factory management, chose the perennial motive of Spanish and Portuguese history as her inspiration - the reconquista. Her design combined the pervading theme of Christians against Moors with some typical french features, that is, bust figurines on balusters.
Eventually one of the various designs provided by Jeannine Hetreau - Nr. 3 incorporating features of others - was adopted for production. An artist's design in a porcelain factory - as in other walks of life - has to be "adapted" for the practical needs of the productive process by production insiders. More or less the same as the alterations civil engineers have to impose on the extravagant designs produced by architects. Still, it is astonishing how many details of the design were maintained, calling for some extremely fine painting of the finished pieces in the process. The VA set "Moors vz. Christians " was presented in 1960, had quite a success especially in overseas markets, and was produced as part of the standard program until 1962. How many sets were made is unclear, but it must have been a sizeable number. While the design itself gave rise to some complaints - the pieces on their stems are a bit top-heavy and tend to fall - the delicate painting of details found high praise in its day, and still is a delight to see. Quite unique: the black side was fired in a black-coloured porcelain paste - not painted on the biscuit, which accounts for the deep shiny black of the "moorish" side. The sets were furnished in a cardboard box, topped by a frame containing a chess board printed on a porcelain tile - also designed by Jeannine Hetreau, with concentric coloured margins.
Values and nuances
Comparing a random selection of 1960ies sets we readily perceive slight variations in the polychrome decoration, depending on the painter who finished them - artists licence, as is normal in a handcraft process. One might confidently conclude no VA 1960 set is exactly the same as any other, each is - although a serial product - distinguished by the human hand which applied the paint. The identifying symbols vary, or sometimes vanish: the white king does sometime bear the manueline armillary sphere , and the black king the dagger - the black queen an appropriate flower, and the white king a rose - some times not. The white knights are distinguished by the Cross of the Order of Christ - highly important in the history of the discoveries - the black bishops are muezzins or imams with an open coran. The bases of the pieces are generally striped, but monochrome colouring does occur - possibly produced in haste, or with a less adept paintress wielding the brushes.
It is quite interesting to see the prices from the sales catalogue of the sixties: each piece cost 93 Escudos - in today's terms (disregarding the appreciation of the currencies) this would be 50 (Euro) cents! In other words, in today's values, the whole set was sold for Euro 16.- . This is quite astounding if we consider that a spanish Lladro set nowadays is sold for 2.200.- Euros, an Augarten Set for about 4.500.- and a King Henry VIII set from the Rudolf Kämmer manufactory between 4.500.- and 6.000.- euros. Recent auctions at Waddington's saw a VA 1960 set sold for 960.- CAD in July 2015, but only for 660.- CAD in June 2016.
Comparing a random selection of 1960ies sets we readily perceive slight variations in the polychrome decoration, depending on the painter who finished them - artists licence, as is normal in a handcraft process. One might confidently conclude no VA 1960 set is exactly the same as any other, each is - although a serial product - distinguished by the human hand which applied the paint. The identifying symbols vary, or sometimes vanish: the white king does sometime bear the manueline armillary sphere , and the black king the dagger - the black queen an appropriate flower, and the white king a rose - some times not. The white knights are distinguished by the Cross of the Order of Christ - highly important in the history of the discoveries - the black bishops are muezzins or imams with an open coran. The bases of the pieces are generally striped, but monochrome colouring does occur - possibly produced in haste, or with a less adept paintress wielding the brushes.
It is quite interesting to see the prices from the sales catalogue of the sixties: each piece cost 93 Escudos - in today's terms (disregarding the appreciation of the currencies) this would be 50 (Euro) cents! In other words, in today's values, the whole set was sold for Euro 16.- . This is quite astounding if we consider that a spanish Lladro set nowadays is sold for 2.200.- Euros, an Augarten Set for about 4.500.- and a King Henry VIII set from the Rudolf Kämmer manufactory between 4.500.- and 6.000.- euros. Recent auctions at Waddington's saw a VA 1960 set sold for 960.- CAD in July 2015, but only for 660.- CAD in June 2016.
Earlier attempts
But the project of making a chess set must have germinated years before at the VA works, as a quite sensational set of chessmen in the VA archives proves. Between 1952 and 1955 another foreign artist was head of VA's artistic department - Andor Hubay Cebrian (4) had been the head of design at the Herend Porcelain works in Pecs when the communist regime took hold of post-war Hungary, had been imprisoned, later emigrated to Norway, where he worked for the Porsgrunn Porcelain manufactory. In 1951 he and his family arrived in Portugal, and Hubay set about organizing the design department along the lines he had established while in Herend. The chess set shown below is quite extraordinary - in Old Vienna style, it was most probably conceived and made as a test project during Hubay's tenure - Austrian chess sets were the norm in Hungary - possibly a set in Hubay's possession was used as model But - Hubay was not the only Austrian or Central European refugee in Portugal - in 1940 , thanks to Aristides de Souza Mendes, the Portuguese Consul in Bordeaux, issuing hundreds of thousands of Visas to refugees fleeing from the Nazi troops, some 500.000 refugees crossed into Portugal via Spain. The "Austrian" chess set might well have been conceived through one of the other refugees employed at Vista Alegre in the postwar years....(5)
But the project of making a chess set must have germinated years before at the VA works, as a quite sensational set of chessmen in the VA archives proves. Between 1952 and 1955 another foreign artist was head of VA's artistic department - Andor Hubay Cebrian (4) had been the head of design at the Herend Porcelain works in Pecs when the communist regime took hold of post-war Hungary, had been imprisoned, later emigrated to Norway, where he worked for the Porsgrunn Porcelain manufactory. In 1951 he and his family arrived in Portugal, and Hubay set about organizing the design department along the lines he had established while in Herend. The chess set shown below is quite extraordinary - in Old Vienna style, it was most probably conceived and made as a test project during Hubay's tenure - Austrian chess sets were the norm in Hungary - possibly a set in Hubay's possession was used as model But - Hubay was not the only Austrian or Central European refugee in Portugal - in 1940 , thanks to Aristides de Souza Mendes, the Portuguese Consul in Bordeaux, issuing hundreds of thousands of Visas to refugees fleeing from the Nazi troops, some 500.000 refugees crossed into Portugal via Spain. The "Austrian" chess set might well have been conceived through one of the other refugees employed at Vista Alegre in the postwar years....(5)
The actual VA chess set
In 2009 Paula Matos, actual artistic director of VA, in a management meeting suggested producing a chess set again , in order to set a signal to the market, and the project went ahead. For this new set, Mrs. Matos inspired herself in design Nr. 4 by Jeannine Hetreau - the same theme, but with elongated Art Nouveau pieces and a lot less figural details which are difficult to execute. Mrs. Matos has a long experience as "midwife" with artist and their designs on the way to the factual production - it did not take her too long to arrive at a final design with the help of an inhouse modellist.
The "New" Vista Alegre chess set was officially presented in 2010 in a vernissage and via a special booklet (see notice under Collectors News ) to sales outlets, but with with a major difference to 1960: the set is limited to 500 units, each set can be acquired in one go for Euro 2.690.- (USD 2.868.- ) in Portugal, or piece by piece for about 30 % more. The set is a lot taller than the old one - kings stand an imposing 20 cm high - some but the exquisite and detailed polychrome decoration is comparable and quite attractive. Instead of the balustre stems, the "new" chess men are posed on elongated podests - and the decoration of the pieces is quite distinct from the "old" set. The same board designed by Jeannine Hetreau- a painted porcelain tile in a frame -is used for this set, and is a bit narrow for the tall pieces. As in the Hetreau design, the white rooks differ from the black ones by the addition of two small watch baskets!
In 2009 Paula Matos, actual artistic director of VA, in a management meeting suggested producing a chess set again , in order to set a signal to the market, and the project went ahead. For this new set, Mrs. Matos inspired herself in design Nr. 4 by Jeannine Hetreau - the same theme, but with elongated Art Nouveau pieces and a lot less figural details which are difficult to execute. Mrs. Matos has a long experience as "midwife" with artist and their designs on the way to the factual production - it did not take her too long to arrive at a final design with the help of an inhouse modellist.
The "New" Vista Alegre chess set was officially presented in 2010 in a vernissage and via a special booklet (see notice under Collectors News ) to sales outlets, but with with a major difference to 1960: the set is limited to 500 units, each set can be acquired in one go for Euro 2.690.- (USD 2.868.- ) in Portugal, or piece by piece for about 30 % more. The set is a lot taller than the old one - kings stand an imposing 20 cm high - some but the exquisite and detailed polychrome decoration is comparable and quite attractive. Instead of the balustre stems, the "new" chess men are posed on elongated podests - and the decoration of the pieces is quite distinct from the "old" set. The same board designed by Jeannine Hetreau- a painted porcelain tile in a frame -is used for this set, and is a bit narrow for the tall pieces. As in the Hetreau design, the white rooks differ from the black ones by the addition of two small watch baskets!
How they make a porcelain chess set at VA
Making a porcelain chess set is not everybody's cup of tea - You need certain tools and provisions for that, principally a ready mix of kaolin-based porcelain mass, appropriate furnaces to do the double or triple firings, and a steady hand plus lots of talent to paint the glazed biscuit pieces.
I. Forming:
Porcelain figurines are formed in plaster molds - liquid porcelain mass is poured in, after a short time of drying the excess is poured off, a bit later the mold is opened , and the pieces extracted with great care for manual finishing.
Making a porcelain chess set is not everybody's cup of tea - You need certain tools and provisions for that, principally a ready mix of kaolin-based porcelain mass, appropriate furnaces to do the double or triple firings, and a steady hand plus lots of talent to paint the glazed biscuit pieces.
I. Forming:
Porcelain figurines are formed in plaster molds - liquid porcelain mass is poured in, after a short time of drying the excess is poured off, a bit later the mold is opened , and the pieces extracted with great care for manual finishing.
II. Firing
Porcelain generally is fired twice - once to harden the biscuit to porcelain at 1.200 - to 1400 degrees Celsius (FA ca. 2148 - 2500 degrees), and a second time after glazing (=glazing brand) - in exceptional cases even three times. Firing nowadays is done in horizontal furnaces, with the porcelain piled on wide tablets inside a heated tunnel with ventilation on both ends. Old vertical furnaces of the 19th century like the one in the Museum had a tendency to blow up when the temperature rose very high, and the hot air could not circulate.
Porcelain generally is fired twice - once to harden the biscuit to porcelain at 1.200 - to 1400 degrees Celsius (FA ca. 2148 - 2500 degrees), and a second time after glazing (=glazing brand) - in exceptional cases even three times. Firing nowadays is done in horizontal furnaces, with the porcelain piled on wide tablets inside a heated tunnel with ventilation on both ends. Old vertical furnaces of the 19th century like the one in the Museum had a tendency to blow up when the temperature rose very high, and the hot air could not circulate.
III. Painting
The main strength of Vista Alegre is concentrated in its painting department, fostered by an inhouse artistic formation and schooling that harks back to the 19th century (6) . Here a dozen ladies - today porcelain painting has become a female bastion, formerly it was the contrary! - concentrate on applying minute details and flourishes to vases, jars, plates, figurines - and chess pieces. Vista Alegre today practices mainly overglaze painting, as well as lithographic applications for serial production - in some cases an extra firing takes place to fix the designs and seal them against fe detergent action.
The main strength of Vista Alegre is concentrated in its painting department, fostered by an inhouse artistic formation and schooling that harks back to the 19th century (6) . Here a dozen ladies - today porcelain painting has become a female bastion, formerly it was the contrary! - concentrate on applying minute details and flourishes to vases, jars, plates, figurines - and chess pieces. Vista Alegre today practices mainly overglaze painting, as well as lithographic applications for serial production - in some cases an extra firing takes place to fix the designs and seal them against fe detergent action.
A Sight to see
Porcelain sets are by nature destined to be put on show, preferably in a well insulated glass showcase. They are collectors pieces for porcelain appreciators, with a chess theme. Today , there are not a lot of companies that still produce chess sets in porcelain - instead a number of makers have marketed chess sets they say are made from porcelain (like Franklin Mint, Lladró, Romanov). Among the classic porcelain manufacturers, the VA set stands out - through its historical theme, its colouring, its superbly crafted painting, and its refined design.
Nobody can say whether a Vista Alegre chess set will turn out to be a good investment in the future - although a limited edition generally will not lose value - but porcelain in general is not in an easy situation considering the changes in living conditions and living style, and the arrival of many cheap tableware producers from third world countries on the world market. In this situation, the VA chess set serves well as an "ambassador" in the world's showrooms for what Vista Alegre stands for.
(c) Nicholas Lanier 2016
Porcelain sets are by nature destined to be put on show, preferably in a well insulated glass showcase. They are collectors pieces for porcelain appreciators, with a chess theme. Today , there are not a lot of companies that still produce chess sets in porcelain - instead a number of makers have marketed chess sets they say are made from porcelain (like Franklin Mint, Lladró, Romanov). Among the classic porcelain manufacturers, the VA set stands out - through its historical theme, its colouring, its superbly crafted painting, and its refined design.
Nobody can say whether a Vista Alegre chess set will turn out to be a good investment in the future - although a limited edition generally will not lose value - but porcelain in general is not in an easy situation considering the changes in living conditions and living style, and the arrival of many cheap tableware producers from third world countries on the world market. In this situation, the VA chess set serves well as an "ambassador" in the world's showrooms for what Vista Alegre stands for.
(c) Nicholas Lanier 2016
Notes
1) quite interesting on the early years of the venture is Borges de Macedo etal., Vista Alegre Porcelains (english version), Edições INAPA, Lisboa 1989, p. 11 ...
see also Wikipedia on Vista Alegre (in Portuguese)
2) acc. to Wikipedia
3) Jeannine Hetreau was married to the painter Remy Hetreau, also a very interesting artist. works from both artists can be found easily via Google on the net. Both artist in later years continued to work with ceramic producers in France, mainly Havilland and Colette Gueden.
4) Andor Hubay's life is largely described in the autobiography of his wife Edle Astrup Hubay Cebrian, Uma vontade indomavel , Oficina do Livro, Lisboa 2013, in portuguese (1.ed. in norwegian, Oslo 1980, german edition Licht und Schatten, ed. Bibliothek der Provinz, Weitra 2000) - a movie is being prepared in 2016 on the basis of this book to retrace the tribulations of the Hubay family!
5) there is of course a possibility that this set might have been conceived back in Herend - but given the background of Andor Hubay's release from a communist prison in 1949 it is not very likely...
6) Vista Alegre had its own painting school as early as early as 1850 - established by the painter and artistic manager Victor Rousseau - see fe. Wikipedia Vista Alegre (in Portuguese)
1) quite interesting on the early years of the venture is Borges de Macedo etal., Vista Alegre Porcelains (english version), Edições INAPA, Lisboa 1989, p. 11 ...
see also Wikipedia on Vista Alegre (in Portuguese)
2) acc. to Wikipedia
3) Jeannine Hetreau was married to the painter Remy Hetreau, also a very interesting artist. works from both artists can be found easily via Google on the net. Both artist in later years continued to work with ceramic producers in France, mainly Havilland and Colette Gueden.
4) Andor Hubay's life is largely described in the autobiography of his wife Edle Astrup Hubay Cebrian, Uma vontade indomavel , Oficina do Livro, Lisboa 2013, in portuguese (1.ed. in norwegian, Oslo 1980, german edition Licht und Schatten, ed. Bibliothek der Provinz, Weitra 2000) - a movie is being prepared in 2016 on the basis of this book to retrace the tribulations of the Hubay family!
5) there is of course a possibility that this set might have been conceived back in Herend - but given the background of Andor Hubay's release from a communist prison in 1949 it is not very likely...
6) Vista Alegre had its own painting school as early as early as 1850 - established by the painter and artistic manager Victor Rousseau - see fe. Wikipedia Vista Alegre (in Portuguese)