- My latest piece, the lapwing
Sensational Sargadelos
I´m just back from Asturias and, as always when I go there, I bought a piece of Sargadelos pottery to add to my modest collection. (See photo above).
Sarga…what? you might be asking. While the muted pastels of Lladró are world famous, the stronger colours and rather tortuous forms of the Galician Sargadelos aren´t well known, even by Spaniards. Yet beer and cider are often served out of Sargadelos pumps in northern bars and many couples in Galicia and Asturias are given a Sargadelos dinnerset as a wedding present.
I prefer this crazy porcelain to its namby pamby Valencian rival because of its more contemporary look and its chequered history.
The Marquis of Sargadelos
Marqués de Sargadelos
The story begins with Antonio Raymundo Ibáñez, Marquis of Sargadelos, born in Asturias in 1749 to a noble, but moneyless, family.
Educated in the Humanities, he began his career as an administrator for a powerful trading family, soon following them into the import and export business.
In 1804 he added a porcelain factory to his vast industrial complex, taking advantage of the excellent caolin found in the Sargadelos area.
At the time, the north-west corner of Spain was a microcosm of the social forces clashing in the peninsula as a whole. The power of the Catholic Church and the landowning nobility was being challenged by entrepreneurs and industrialists bent on modernising Spain and becoming very rich in the process.
Some historians focus on Ibáñez as a capitalist tyrant, enriching himself at the expense of the common people and their lands. Others defend him as a product of the Enlightenment and a firm believer in liberty, equality and fraternity, working to develop the region and alleviate poverty.
Whatever he was, the Marquis of Sargadelos came to a violent end. During the invasion of the French, he was accused of siding with them as an afrancesado and was beaten to death by enraged townspeople.
Cobalt blue and white
The porcelain factory survived the demise of Ibáñez. In 1845 it passed into other hands and took on its signature cobalt blue and white colour scheme.
It was given new impetus in in 1963 when the painter Luís Seoane acquired the famous factory with a view, not only to marketing the pottery, but creating Galician cultural centres.
To this day, the tension between these two aims – one commercial and the other cultural – exists in the Sargadelos company. The shops, known as galleries, sell the pottery but they also have bookshops specialising in Galician and Portuguese literature as well as open spaces for book presentations, recitals, conferences and debates.
Could do better
Perhaps because of this tension, and though Sargadelos can be bought in a number of galleries, it is not as readily available as other Spanish ceramics. It is not for sale on the company website and in many shops most pieces can only be bought by special order. (I´ll collect my lapwing when I go back up to Oviedo in August). I like to buy my small pieces in a shop in Oviedo since that was where I first discovered it but it bothers me that the figures are hard to get.
Having said this, it may not be possible for shops to stock every piece since the output of figures has been vast, ranging from the wild and domestic fauna of Galicia, to artisan trades from the recent past, to historical, literary and folk figures. Its catalogue has been described as:
“ … extensive in terms of shapes, motifs, reliefs and exclusive colours, and includes crockery sets, ornamental figures and even original designer jewellery… this company takes traditional forms and shapes, and engenders in them its own unique artistic vision to create exclusive pieces.”
My collection
All Sargadelos pieces are named in gallego. In my modest collection, which so far only has items in muted colours, there is a cow (vaca), a figure of Santiago in his boat made of stone, a dove (pomba), a “hole-in-the-hand folk symbol (furaman), a shell (buguina), an ashtray (see above), a toothpick holder (not shown), a wolf (lobo) and now the soon-to-be-collected lapwing (avefría), which reminds me of the Scottish peewit.
Vaca
Santiago
Pomba
Furaman
Buguina
Lobo
I used to think that people who collected things were akin to trainspotters but now that I have the Sargadelos bug I enjoy placing all my trinkets around my house.
Sargadelos isn´t particularly cheap, so my collection is growing very slowly – the latest, tiny lapwing figure costs €16 – but I´m already thinking about my next acquisition.
What will it be?
Do you collect anything Spanish?
If so let me know, one anorak to another!
About Mo
Hi! I found my way here through my google search for Sargadelos. Last winter I found one of their jugs for 5 euros and just got an e-mail from Sargadelos telling it’s worth at least 120. Am I a happy girl or what? I’d love to start collecting their dinnerware but alas, my financial situation being what it is, its just isn’t an option. Unlike you I’m totally into their more quirky pieces but whatever the style is, they are all gorgeous. Now I’m trying to find a place to sell my lonely jug, Ebay doesn’t really work as it’s more for sellers with tons of items.
Hi! Glad you found me. It´s great that Sargadelos gave you an idea of the value of your jug, I had no idea they would offer that kind of service. Wish I could help with a place to sell your “lonely” jug! Hopefully somebody will see this and offer advice.
Hello Mo! We had never heard of Sargadelos until we visited friends in Galicia in 2008. We are Australians and I am afraid not many people here know about them. We started selling Sargadelos online. Our shop is called Riiko Ceramics. We love everything about Spain and Sargadelos! The dinnerware is really beautiful – we order in anything that anyone asks for but as you say it is expensive….it is for us anyway…We have all the animals and I sell them all on eBay as well. Australians are really surprised when they see the dinnerware. platters and bowl they really love them. Cathy from Riiko Ceramics
Hi Cathy, that´s amazing! I´ll check out your shop, though it would be a bit daft for me to order from you! I imagine the shipping costs are quite prohibitive. I´ll add your link to the post I wrote to help people get these wonderful ceramics. I´m picking up a little lapwing this month up in Asturias and have just the right spot in my house ready for it! So far I´ve got no dinnerware but friends do. It´s a great wedding gift and absolutely fab for people in beachy-type accommodation – very marine! Thanks a lot for getting in touch.
What a wonderful site Cathy! Your photographs are brilliant and customers can really see what they´re getting. The animals are soooo cute but I try to resist buying them just on that basis since I´d like to have a mix of styles and themes. Do your prices include shipping? If so and given that your dollars are Australian your prices are pretty fair I think. Good luck with your venture!
Hi Mo – I am so pleased you like the site. Sargadelos put all their prices up significantly on 1 July 2012 but we do offer discounts when we can and we take offers on eBay which is great because some items are more popular than others. Our shipping is not included but we try and keep it down. It would be great if more Australians and New Zealanders bought from us but we have the most interest from the States! Which is wonderful! Also as a fellow lover of Sargadelos and Spain you must watch “the skin I live in” by Aldomovar – it features Sargadelos and Galicia! I will keep an eye on your site, all the best
Cathy
I haven´t seen the film but I want to and now have more reason. I´m going to send you by email a couple of photos of a private collection in Galicia which you might find interesting. My own interest is really in the contemporary stuff – I couldn´t afford to bid for older stuff – and I think it could be something nice to leave behind to my daughter! (Okay, so I only have six or seven pieces but I live in hope …..).
Hello, Mo. Nice piece. I am a dainty little anorak masel. I collect Nao figures, the poor cousin of Lladró. I don’t think they exist anymore. I have four little girls in white nightdresses…..very pretty. A different style from your collection but i really do like the pieces you’ve shown here.
Retweeting….
Hi HMC! I´m surprised you say Nao doesn´t exist – have you not been to the Corte Inglés in a while? I think I saw some there recently. I´m glad you like my wee pieces, though they´re maybe not too representative of Sargadelos which can be pretty wild (and uuuugly). Mine are a wee bit twee, little animals and such. I´m thinking that the next piece could be a Velázquez menina in blue and white. Anyway, nice to talk to another anorak and thanks sooooo much for leaving a comment! Besos, Mo xxx