Pewter tableware by Portuguese brand Freitas & Dores

The Art of Pewter Masterpieces by Freitas & Dores

Connoisseurs of exquisite tableware and elegant home accessories are well-versed in the best materials for decorating their homes. But in addition to porcelain, crystal, and silver, there are rarer and more ancient materials that are not so easy to find today. The mass production of glass, porcelain and earthenware has replaced the previous traditional formats, and this only increases the value of products made from atypical materials. For example, a material such as pewter was used to produce plates, cups and bowls until the era of porcelain came.

Pewter is an alloy of metals:  tin with a content of 85% to 99%, antimony, copper, bismuth and sometimes silver. In ancient times, when issues of toxicity and harm to health were not particularly concerned, lead was also occasionally added, which gave the products a blue tint. Tin is a very soft, plastic material, thanks to which craftsmen could give it any shape from utilitarian, for everyday use for food, to complex, exquisite vessels for celebrations or decorating the homes of wealthy families.

Pewter dishes as a gift

The first archaeological finds of pewter dishes date back to the Bronze Age and the times of Ancient Egypt. Since then, the vast majority of cutlery and dishes among the Egyptians and Romans were made of this material. And the greatest flowering of its use fell on the period from the Middle Ages to the end of the 18th century, when the production of more familiar materials began. Pewter experienced its renaissance at the end of the 19th century, when the fashion for medieval decor began.

Of course, no one eats from pewter plates today, but this interesting material can diversify your interior as part of a variety of more decorative items, such as wine jugs, vases, salad bowls, etc. An interesting example of combining ancient materials with modern forms can be found at the luxury gift shop Fama and Portuguese craftsmen Freitas & Dores.

This company producing household items from pewter was founded in 1983 and is based in the town of Maia near Porto in Portugal. Since the 1990s, Freitas & Dores has acquired a number of old Portuguese brands to diversify and expand the range of its own production. The alloy used by the company consists of 95% pure pewter, and 5% copper and antimony. All products are the result of creativity, diligence and meticulous handwork of more than 20 pewter craftsmen. And the design of tableware and decor items is developed by the CEO and owner of the company in collaboration with Portuguese designers.

By the way, Freitas & Dores are members of the European Union of Pewter Manufacturers, which regulates compliance with the requirements for the minimum tin content in the alloy and  quality standards for the production of pewter items. So you can be sure of the safety and authenticity of the products of this brand.

The Fama unique gift shop offers buckets for cooling wine, fruit vases, jugs for water or wine, dishes and bowls from Freitas & Dores. You can also find beautiful products without utilitarian use – wonderful figurines that will turn your home into an exquisite salon for connoisseurs of art and history.

Of course, we are accustomed to the convenience and simplicity of the materials from which modern dishes are made. It is easy to care for, it is not a pity to break, it fits any interior. But the human desire for beauty makes us forget about banal comfort or economy when it comes to truly unique things with history, with the soul of the master invested in them. These are exactly the products from Freitas & Dores - Portuguese masters who have conquered metal and beauty.