Avelino Soares Belo
Abstract
The following paper and the research that preceded it were developed as part of an ongoing PhD in Sculpture at the Fine Arts Faculty of the University of Lisbon. The PhD project is titled “Flora caldense: Life-cast Molds of Plants from the Artistic Ceramic Industry of Caldas da Rainha”. It’s starting point is a group of old molds bought from a factory established in Caldas da Rainha, some of wich have been identified as having been made by Avelino Soares Belo.
Avelino António Soares Belo (1872-1927) was one of the protagonists of the Artistic Ceramics of Caldas da Rainha during the second half of the 19th century and the beguining of the 20th century. Avelino studied as a modeller and as an industrial pottery / ceramic worker and mold maker and was initially a worker at the “Fábrica de Faianças das Caldas da Rainha” (Caldas da Rainha Earthenware Factory) (FFCR), under the artistic direction of Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro (1846-1905). After leaving FFCR, Avelino worked for several factories and for the “Atelier Cerâmico” (Ceramic Studio) of the Viscount of Sacavém, under the artistic direction of Josef Füller (1861-1927), before founding his own studio in 1889.