A Potters' Collection - How Scotland became home to a collection of Portuguese Folk Ceramics

In 2022, Ian and Elizabeth Hird of the Kelso Pottery approached National Museums Scotland (NMS) with an offer to donate a collection of Portuguese pottery figures, acquired during visits to a pottery in the ceramic centre of Caldas da Rainha between the 1960s and 1980s. Half of the group of figures were from two makers based in Barcelos, a village in the Minho region in the north of Portugal, famous for its makers who create figures that depict aspects of daily life. The other half were the work of one maker based near Viseu, in the Ribolhos region of central Portugal, renowned for its black clay and domestic wares, Although NMS's ceramic collection is extensive, Portuguese ceramics were a notable absence, which is surprising given that Portugal is a celebrated centre for pottery production, due to the abundance and quality of the clay found there. We were therefore intrigued to learn more about how these ceramics had ended up in the Scottish Borders, and what they might tell us about a ceramic tradition we knew little about.