Hotel Oslo reveals beautiful art collection

This month our main story is about history. However, it’s not the type of history you can only find in museums. On the contrary! This part of Coimbra’s history can be found just a few steps away, on the walls of our hotel. The dishes ‘ratinho’ (literally translated to ‘little mouse’) that decorate the walls of the Hotel Oslo are part of one of the city’s most traditional artistic movements: we are talking about pottery.

Experts attribute the production of these dishes to a factory located in the city center. Thanks to the study of the dishes, it’s known that this faience was originally produced in Coimbra between the second third of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century. Even the name ‘ratinho’ carries a historical symbolism: this was the word used to describe the rural workers who temporarily migrated from the Beiras region – where Coimbra is located – to the Alentejo.

When traveling south, each worker packed a ‘ratinho’ dish, so they wouldn’t have to share other people’s dishes. Over time, the name ‘ratinho’ acquired a rustic meaning. When applied to pottery, the term is used to characterize simple dishes, normally used by the poorer classes.

However, the faience’s destiny changed drastically when prominent Portuguese artists such as José Régio and Júlio Pereira Reis started collectingthe ‘ratinho’ dishes in the 20th century. Suddenly the mysterious faience became an object of desire for dozens of collectors and museums. Today it’s known that the characteristic decoration of these dishes, originally painted with sponge and brush, includes 11 main themes, such as human figures, animals or flowers.

Beyond the walls of the Hotel Oslo, you can find more examples of this faience in the acclaimed Machado de Castro Museum, located near the University of Coimbra. The museum’s collection includes 171 pieces that you will want to get to know better. However, if you don’t have time to visit the museum, you can always have fun by skimming the walls of the Hotel Oslo and enjoying our traditional decor.