Portuguese Azulejo Tile Duck Birds Trivet Cork Coaster Start Price USD 29.00 Current Price USD 29.00 Time Left 27 days 13 hours 31 minutes Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Wednesday, October 08, 2008 End Time Thursday, February 05, 2009 Location Provincetown, MA See more about 'Portuguese Azulejo Tile Duck Birds Trivet Cork Coaster ' Description Beautiful Octagonal Tile, handmade and handpainted in Portugal. This tile has cork in the reverse side so it can be used as a trivet or coaster. Dimension: 5 1/2" x 5 1/2".  The handmade process of this "Azulejo" or glazed Portuguese tiles, offers unique characteristics distinguishing it from all other tiles.. Each azulejo is pressed by hand from wet terracotta clay, which is locally produced in Portugal. After each one is cut, it goes to the drying station which takes two to three months, due to the fact that the tiles dry naturally. At this stage, the tile acquires irregular surfaces which is very important to distinguish the "azulejo" from the smooth, all even, machine-made tiles. The tile is then baked in a high temperature oven. Than, each tile is handglazed and frequently shows a shade of rose around the edges. The "azulejo" is handpainted. Stamps and decals are never used. After being handpainted, the tile returns to the oven for a final firing. The final results show lovely tiles with various nuances in color. These fluctuations are the result of the careful, individually, handcrafted style of each artist. Often times very fine lines called "cracle" appear on the tile surface. These are caused by the terracotta, the glaze and the temperature at which the "azulejo" is baked. The age of a tile can be determined by either the presence or absence of these small lines.     Place a Bid!