Bonecos de Estremoz
the clay that tells stories
For centuries, peculiar clay figures have come to life in the hands of artisans from the municipality of Estremoz, in the Évora district. The unique modelling technique—based on a slab, a roller, and a ball of clay, with distinctive faces, colourful paintings, and clothed bodies, usually representing devotional figures or the people of Alentejo—deserves special distinction as it paves the way for the creation of the Bonecos de Estremoz, the smallest ambassadors of Portuguese culture.
The parts of the Bonecos de Estremoz are modelled separately. They are then joined together and dressed with clay clothes. After drying, they are fired at about 900°C, painted with tempera or acrylic paints mixed with white glue, and finished with a clear varnish. The most popular figures include the Nativity Scene, “Queen Saint Isabel”, “Love is Blind”, “Xexé”, “Spring”, “Matchstick Musicians”, and the shepherds.
According to archaeological traces and historical documents, the production of these figurines dates back to the 17th century. The tradition is thought to have started with women known as “boniqueiras”, who, in search of accessible devotional images, began to model clay figures of saints. This raw material, abundant and easy to mould, became an alternative to expensive and hard-to-acquire wooden sculptures. Production increased significantly between 1750 and 1807 when nativity scenes and new themes, inspired by the Mafra School and noble Neapolitan nativities, emerged. Artisans adapted to commissions, replicating erudite models with a local touch. Over time, various traditional figurines, originally created to adorn nativities, began to be produced and appreciated outside the Christmas context.
In the 19th century, economic, political, and social problems, along with a lack of firewood and rising clay prices, contributed to a slow but persistent decline in production. In the early 20th century, the tradition died out with the death of artisan Gertrudes Rosa Marques, but in 1935, the António Augusto Gonçalves Industrial School, through José Maria Sá Lemos, revived the production of the Bonecos de Estremoz, based on the memories of the potter Ti Ana das Peles. The figurative continued to be reinvented by Mariano da Conceição and the artisans who learned from them.
From 2012, the municipality of Estremoz began initiatives to attract young people to this production. In 2015, the figurative was registered in the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and in 2017, it was distinguished as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. In 2018, the Bonecos de Estremoz were certified, and in 2021, the figurines and their history gained their own home, the Interpretative Centre of the Estremoz Figurine (CIBE), in the former Palace of the Marquises of Praia and Monforte. Renewed in their aesthetics, the Bonecos de Estremoz are the materialization of a cultural heritage that continues to enchant and inspire. They are testimonies of the Alentejo spirit and represent the people and those who interpret them, in a great circle of tradition and innovation of Portuguese culture.
