Smiling giants link arms and clasp hands on damaged blue and white azulejos glazed ceramic tiles on a wall within the Palácio Nacional former royal palace at Sintra, Portugal, for centuries a retreat for the royal family and court from the intense summer heat in Lisbon.
Sintra, Lisbon region, Portugal: squatting giants clasp hands and smile through centuries of dirt, damage and makeshift repairs to the blue and white azulejos tiles covering a wall within the Palácio Nacional de Sintra, the Portuguese royal family’s upland refuge from Lisbon’s summer heat. Many of the royal apartments and other areas of the palace in the Sintra Vila old town are decorated with glazed blue ceramic azulejos. The word has its origin in the Arabic term for a small, smooth polished stone, aljulej of azulej, which evolved to azulejo in Portuguese. Modern azulejos are found everywhere in Portugal, decorating winding streets in Lisbon, as well as railway stations, restaurants, bars, public spaces, churches and individual homes. Older examples form a visual historical record of Portugal, in particular telling the story of the country’s proud seafaring heritage by depicting navigators and their ships. The Museu Nacional do Azulejo, the national tile museum in Lisbon, covers Portuguese ceramic art from the 15th century onwards.
Size: 6801px × 4539px
Location: Palácio Nacional de Sintra, Sintra, Lisbon region, Portugal.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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