Alentejo painted furniture: the finger, the flower and how to recognise a hand painted piece

By Sérgio Carvalho, co-founder of Ra-Ro · View profile

About a 4 minute read

There is a simple way to tell whether a flower was painted by a person. You look for the mistake. On a printed piece, the tenth rose is identical to the first, the same curve on the same petal, as if someone had pressed the same button ten times. On a hand painted piece, the tenth rose came out a little more open, the leaf on the left leans further than it should, and the centre of the flower is never the same size twice. I like this test because it asks for one thing only. Attention.

Alentejo painted furniture is the tradition of painting flowers and sprays by hand, traditionally in enamel paint, on household pieces with a plain coloured ground: chairs with rush seats (buinho), chests, beds, chests of drawers and tea trays. According to tradition, it is said to have begun in Évora in the mid nineteenth century and was later taken up by craftspeople in other Alentejo towns. In Redondo, a municipality in the district of Évora, the artisan Zézinha has been painting Alentejo furniture for four decades, as she learned from her master: she draws the centre of each flower with her finger and finishes the rest with brushes, in softer tones. You recognise a hand painted piece by those small differences between flowers that repeat without ever being copies.

The painting reached almost everything in a house. From bedroom to kitchen, from the linen chest to the double bed, from the rush chair to the tray that carried the tea. The grounds are strong, flat colours: blue, white, green, red and yellow, and also garnet and dark green. On top, nearly always the plant world, with open flowers, buds, leaves and sprays linking one flower to the next, as if the whole piece were a flower bed drawn to last. Alentejo painted furniture is decorative painting made to live indoors and stand up to everyday use.

The finger

Zézinha's method fits into three steps. First the ground, applied evenly over the whole piece. Then the centre of each flower, drawn with the finger. Only then the brushes, for petals, leaves and sprays, in softer tones that create contrast and give the flower volume. The finger leaves a mark no brush can imitate, with the pressure of that day and no other. A kind of signature. No pen required.

A lot fits inside this rule. The tea tray Zézinha painted has a black ground, a colour outside the traditional palette, and on black the flowers gain a strength they would not have on blue. On the egg cabinet, small enough for a doll's house, she went back to the classic dark green. And on the bicado, a tinware jug with spout and handle, she carried the furniture flowers over to metal. Is a piece painted today, on a black tray, still Alentejo painted furniture, or is it something new that grew out of it? It is a question worth asking. I lean towards the first answer, but I understand anyone who argues for the second.

Recognising and caring

To recognise a hand painted piece, light helps. Under raking light you can sometimes see the petal painted over the ground, a slight ridge of paint. Leaves and sprays show the direction of the brush. On Zézinha's pieces, every flower centre marked with the finger is slightly different from the next. And there is the simplest test of all: a craftsperson's piece has a name and a place. When nobody can say who painted it, I get suspicious.

Caring for painted furniture is easier than it looks. A soft, dry cloth for the dust. Away from damp, radiators and hours of strong sun. No scourers, bleach or harsh detergents, which scratch and lift the paint. And care when moving it, because a knock on a corner chips the paint, and that chip does not come back.

I write about this because I believe there is always a person behind every piece. In a catalogue, Alentejo painted furniture is reduced to a style, some flowers on a coloured ground. In Redondo, it has Zézinha's name and four decades of flowers made one by one. The whole distance between the two lies in that centre drawn with a finger.

Next time you find a painted chair in an Alentejo house, count the flowers and look for the one that came out different. That is where the person is. The six pieces by Zézinha we carry at Ra-Ro, from the jewellery box to the watering can, are in the shop, and our Alentejo travel guide will help you find the road to Redondo.

Frequently asked questions

What is Alentejo painted furniture?

A decorative tradition from the Alentejo in which flowers, leaves and sprays are painted by hand on furniture and household objects with a single colour ground.

Where does Alentejo painted furniture come from?

Tradition points to Évora in the mid nineteenth century, from where it is said to have spread to craftspeople in other Alentejo towns. There is no precisely documented date.

What paint is used on Alentejo furniture?

Traditionally enamel paint, applied first as the ground and then for the floral motifs.

What are the traditional colours of Alentejo furniture?

Blue, white, green, red and yellow for the grounds, together with garnet and dark green.

How do you clean hand painted furniture?

With a soft, dry cloth. Avoid damp, direct heat and abrasive products, which can lift the paint.

Where can I buy Alentejo painted furniture?

Ra-Ro sells pieces hand painted by the artisan Zézinha from Redondo, such as a tea tray, an egg cabinet and a jewellery box.