António Manuel Matos Marques

António Manuel Matos Marques

A black clay potter in Molelos (Tondela), António Manuel Matos Marques started in the art at the age of 14, learning from his uncle (who in turn had learned from his grandfather). He has more than four decades of continuous practice, producing mainly utilitarian and decorative pieces on a potter's wheel, with a traditional burnished finish. He continues to fire his pieces in a reducing environment (wood-fired kiln) and values the transmission of know-how — he even taught a colleague when he was 19 years old. In the workshop, the polishing stage is often carried out by local craftswomen (e.g. Lurdes Coimbra). Among his current pieces are jugs (c. 20 minutes/unit), baking trays and tableware, preserving the formal grammar of the Molelos pottery centre.

artisans

1969

iain

Portuguese

Artisan

733

current,40.530278,-8.095556;

Portugal

António Manuel Matos Marques

TEXT

A black clay potter in Molelos (Tondela), António Manuel Matos Marques started in the art at the age of 14, learning from his uncle (who in turn had learned from his grandfather). He has more than four decades of continuous practice, producing mainly utilitarian and decorative pieces on a potter's wheel, with a traditional burnished finish. He continues to fire his pieces in a reducing environment (wood-fired kiln) and values the transmission of know-how — he even taught a colleague when he was 19 years old. In the workshop, the polishing stage is often carried out by local craftswomen (e.g. Lurdes Coimbra). Among his current pieces are jugs (c. 20 minutes/unit), baking trays and tableware, preserving the formal grammar of the Molelos pottery centre.

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António Marques learned the art at the age of 14 from his uncle, who in turn had inherited it from his grandfather, perpetuating a family tradition spanning several generations. The know-how was passed on orally and through daily practice in the workshop, observing and repeating gestures, techniques and work rhythms until he achieved full autonomy.

The craftsman passed on his craft to a colleague when he was 19 years old and occasionally participates in demonstrations, particularly at annual festivals and local cultural events. Teaching takes place in a practical manner, through direct supervision at the wheel and by sharing techniques for preparing and polishing clay.

male

The potter masters all stages of traditional black clay production: the extraction and preparation of clays (‘weak clay’ and ‘strong clay’), modelling on the wheel, burnishing and polishing with pebbles, controlled drying and firing in a wood-fired kiln with a reducing atmosphere. It also requires sensitivity to the temperature, colour and texture of the clay, as well as empirical knowledge of drying and firing times.

Black clay of Molelos

full-time paid job

The clay is obtained from local barriers in the parish of Molelos and surrounding areas, in clay soils rich in iron, suitable for the production of black clay. Traditionally, the potter himself extracted and prepared the clay, selecting different types (‘weak clay’ and ‘strong clay’) to create the right mixture for the wheel and firing. Currently, part of the raw material is collected in controlled areas or purchased from regional suppliers, ensuring the continuity of traditional quality and reducing the physical effort of manual extraction.

Clay scraps are reused in their entirety. The potter collects the dry scraps, grinds them up and mixes them with fresh clay and water, creating a new paste suitable for modelling. This recycling process is common practice among Molelos potters and ensures waste reduction. Only fragments of already fired pieces that are impossible to reuse are discarded, usually in specific areas next to the workshop.

Potter's wheel; manual shaping of moulds.

Potter's wheel; hand tools; river stones, wooden sticks.

The tools are extensions of the potter's hands and symbols of family continuity. The wheel is central to the practice; the hand tools and burnishing stones reflect the connection to nature and inherited tradition.

It uses firewood (pine, oak, eucalyptus) in traditional kilns and, in some cases, propane gas for controlled firing. Electricity is used in the potter's wheel.

The black clay production process generates very little waste. The main ‘leftovers’ are unused clay or clay that dries too quickly, which is recycled: it is crushed again, moistened and reintegrated into the new mixture. The water used in preparation and polishing is reused whenever possible. Fragments of broken or deformed pieces after firing are the only non-reusable waste; these are usually deposited next to the workshop and sometimes reused to fill land or paths.

The potter has his own workshop located in Molelos, a parish in the municipality of Tondela, in central Portugal. The space is a traditional masonry building, adapted over the years, which houses the potter's wheel, the drying area for the pieces and the wood-fired kiln used for firing. It is a functional environment, organised into sequential work areas — clay preparation, modelling, polishing and firing — reflecting the accumulated practical knowledge. The space is heated by a wood-burning fireplace, which is also used to dry some pieces during the winter. The workshop retains the family and artisanal character typical of Molelos potteries, being a place of production and, at the same time, of knowledge transfer. Next to the workshop is the shop with pieces on display and for sale. The wood-fired kiln is located outside the workshop.

He produces utilitarian and decorative pieces in black clay: jugs, pitchers, bowls, pots, wine jugs, sugar bowls, flower vases, baking dishes and pitchers, as well as design pieces inspired by the Molelos tradition.

It is his profession.

Sell the products in the shop next to the workshop and in specialist shops selling typical Portuguese handicrafts.

No.

No.

Tourists, local customers, restaurants, local shops.

Yes. Molelos Black Pottery has been certified since 2020 as a ‘Certified Handcrafted Product’, recognised by PPART - Programme for the Promotion of Handicrafts and Micro-enterprises (IEFP, Portugal). This certification distinguishes traditional handcrafted production, guaranteeing the authenticity of the techniques, materials and manufacturing processes. The pieces by potter António Manuel Matos Marques are thus covered by this collective certification, valuing black clay as a heritage product of local origin.

Yes. He participates in public demonstrations of ‘soenga’ and welcomes visitors to his workshop. The activities take place at local cultural events, with national and international audiences interested in traditional ceramics.

“Já não podemos cozer todas as peças na soenga, como os antigos, mas é muito importante fazermos esta soenga uma vez por ano — para mostrar às pessoas como era e para que não se perca esta arte.”

He collaborates with other potters, the Terras de Besteiros Museum and Tondela Municipal Council in demonstrations of traditional pottery techniques and cultural projects. He participates in initiatives with schools and researchers on black clay.

Difficulty in obtaining clay and firewood; ageing potters; lack of generational succession; low profitability and environmental restrictions on traditional firing; logistical and market challenges in rural areas.

“Se há tarefas duras, ir à barreira extrair e carregar o barro é uma delas! Hoje, com este processo, além da qualidade do barro, poupamo-nos muito.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3FS07QYpD0 https://www.cm-tondela.pt/1309/barro-negro-de-molelos https://7maravilhas.pt/portfolio/louca-preta-de-molelos/