Az Infinitum: every azulejo in Portugal
Az Infinitum is the University of Lisbon's database of Portuguese azulejo tiles: where they are, what patterns and scenes they show, and who made them.
What it is
Az Infinitum is an online system documenting azulejos — the painted ceramic tiles made or installed in Portugal. It is run by the Az research network at the University of Lisbon's School of Arts and Humanities together with the National Azulejo Museum. It has been online since 2012 and keeps growing; its makers call it the largest azulejo database in the country.
The material is organised around five areas: tiles in situ (in churches, palaces, on façades), iconography, patterns and frames, authorship, and bibliography. There is also a map-based search.
Why we picked it
Azulejos are the first thing you notice in Lisbon or Porto: blue panels on house fronts, stations and monasteries. Nobody usually explains what you are actually looking at. Az Infinitum does, properly — entries record the place, date, maker or factory, technique, materials and subject. You can see the same pattern turning up in different buildings, or find which biblical and mythological scenes ended up on the walls.
The pattern work is especially interesting: the researchers use automatic image matching to compare ornaments with each other and with the prints that tile painters copied from.
Two caveats. The project description and network site are available in English, but the database interface and its records are mostly in Portuguese. And it is an academic site, not a glossy one — expect to click around a bit.
Where to start
- Read the English project page first; it explains how the database is structured.
- Open the search and pick a city you know on the map — Lisbon, Porto or Sintra.
- Browse the patterns section to see a single motif repeat across buildings.
- Search the iconography for scenes you have spotted on façades.
- If you are in Lisbon, pair it with a visit to the National Azulejo Museum.
Who it's for
Anyone heading to Portugal, or back from it with a phone full of tile photos. Designers and illustrators hunting for ornament. Art historians and ceramics lovers.
Quick answers
Is it free? Yes, the database is open to everyone with no sign-up.
Is it in English? The project description is; most database records are in Portuguese.
Who runs it? The Az research network at the University of Lisbon, with the National Azulejo Museum.
