History of technology

At the beginning of the 14th century, Pere Boïl, the 4th Lord of Manises, encouraged the workshops of his domain to work with this novel technique, probably with the help of master ceramists who arrived from the Nasrid kingdom of Granada.

Most of the early craftsmen were Mudejars, which resulted in a unique fusion of Islamic and Christian motifs.

From this synthesis emerged a ceramic of enormous originality and beauty. Its golden and coppery hues fascinated European courts and palaces, where tableware and works decorated with heraldic shields were commissioned. The port of Valencia was key to this expansion, and during the 15th century, Manises established itself as the main production center of gilded earthenware in Europe.

The fame of these works was such that they became prestigious objects on royal tables and noble collections. Their uniqueness lay not only in their technique, but also in their ability to unite different cultural traditions in a single artistic language.

Over the centuries, the technique of lustreware lost prominence. The arrival of Renaissance pottery and the expulsion of the Moriscos in 1609 marked a period of decline. Even so, the Manises workshops managed to maintain production until the 18th century, when the technique was on the verge of extinction.

In the 19th century, the Historicist movement fostered its revival, restoring Manises to the grandeur of its Hispano-Arabic ceramics. Thanks to this recovery, the metallic sheen has survived to this day.

Today, in Arturo Mora 's workshop, this tradition lives on: each piece is made on a potter's wheel, painted freehand with metallic oxides, and undergoes a delicate third reduction firing , which gives the surface its golden and coppery tones. Thus, an art that fascinated medieval courts continues to shine in the 21st century.