Portuguese craftsmanship. Júlia Côta is one of the greatest still living representatives of the "Barcelos Figurado", a strong expression of Portuguese popular culture. Like many men and women of her generation, Julia Côta did not learn to read or write. It was a Portuguese collector who taught her to scribble the initials of her name in order to authenticate the pieces in her own collection. Since then, none of her ceramics has left his workshop without the J and Cs stamped at the base.
Objects that bear witness to Portuguese culture. Her "dolls", as she calls them, invariably represent figures and scenes from rural life or mythological figures rooted in the popular imagination. They are recognizable by the ambiguous features melding the lines of men, women, and animals, with their marked eyebrows and the bright colours of their clothes.
Unique objects. None of the pieces are the same: 100% of the motifs are hand-painted. The pieces, therefore, seem similar but the closer the observer gets to them, the more details and singularities are revealed.
Want to know more?
I met Jùlia Côta and I dedicated an article to her in my blog, don't hesitate to read "The fantastic world of Jùlia Côta".
