Missing Tiles of Lisbon - A project to raise awareness of the theft of traditional portuguese tiles, the azulejos.

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With a single azulejo fetching hundreds of euros at the city’s more reputable antique stores, these tiles, sitting there out in the open, are easy pickings. Portugal’s pastel-hued capital, which is also the tile capital of Europe, bar none. The tiles run the gamut in terms of age and style, with the oldest blue-and-white ones painted by hand, and semi-industrial ones, a riotous rainbow of sometimes-dizzying graphic patterns. So many buildings here have tile-covered façades that tiles, or azulejos, as they are known in Portuguese, have become one of the unofficial symbols of the city: The souvenir shops here are brimming with tile-themed chachkas; the National Tile Museum is among the city’s most-visited institutions; and tile collectors from around the world regard Lisbon as their Mecca.

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Size: 5472px × 3648px
Location: Lisbon, Portugal
Photo credit: © Jason Bryan / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

Keywords: abstract, ancient, antique, architecture, art, artworks, azulejos, background, blue, book, carving, ceramic, colorful, colour, culture, decoration, decorative, design, detail, europe, geometric, glazed, grunge, heritage, history, lisboa, lisbon, mising, missing, mosaic, ornamental, painted, pattern, porcelain, portugal, portugese, portuguese, retro, texture, textured, tiled, tiles, tradition, traditional, vintage, wall, white