Sargadelos: Culture, History and Design in Galicia.

The design of Spanish ceramics is intricate and artistically beautiful, and tells the history of the region in which they are produced.

Sargadelos  is a company in Galicia, Spain, which produces exquisite porcelain tableware and figurines; they also make fine jewelry, textiles and leather products.  All pieces are finished and painted by hand. The pieces are unlike any other Spanish ceramics because of their edgy, modern style and resemble Picasso´s designs. Their artistic value relives the origins of the history of Galicia.

Along with ZARA, Adolfo Dominguez, and Robert Verino, Sargadelos is one of Galicia´s big business ventures, and has put Galicia on the map for its culture, art and design.

Sargadelos designs depict scallop-shell symbols from Galicia´s ancient pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, or Saint Jame´s Way; Celtic images; local fishermen; craftsman; meigas, or good luck witches from Galician mythological tales; and friezes from Romanesque churches in Galicia.

The Celtic influence in Galicia has direct impact on the culture of this region. Although history is unclear as to whether or not the Irish came from Galicia, and it is perhaps a myth, the connection between Ireland and Galicia has shaped the identity of Galicia. During Galicia´s cultural revival in the 19th century, they took Ireland as a model for reviving their Celtic identity, in literature as well as music. There are many similarities between Ireland and Galicia: Catholicism, lyric poetry, the playing of bagpipes, rainy weather, hill forts, a beautiful green landscape and an economy that has been based on agriculture and fishing.

Galicia has some Roman and Moorish influence, but very little. It was too remote to be dominated by invaders. Galicia was independent in the 10th to 11th centuries, and then ruled by Castile. Industrialization in Galicia began in the 20th century, but it was in the1950´s, that the Sargadelos industrial complex helped revive the avant-garde art scene in Galicia.

The history of the Sargadelos dates back to 1806 when it was founded by the great industrialist Antonio Ibañez, entrepreneur and art connoisseur. The company has gone through many stages, but the current president of Sargadelos says their mission is to revive and preserve the culture of Galicia.

The industrialization and cultural revival in Galicia in the mid 20th century took place in part thanks to the revival of the Sargadelos company. During the Franco dictatorship, many intellectuals from Galicia had emigrated to Argentina. Amongst them, Isaac Diaz Pardo, publisher, painter, designer, ceramist, and businessman; and the painter Luis Seoane. Upon returning to Spain, they founded the new Sargadelos manufacturing plant. Their idea was to influence the intellectual and cultural recovery of Galicia. Diaz Pardo and Seoane successfully restored the original spirit of the Sargadelos factory, but infused it with a revived, iconic vision of what Galicia meant to them. Together, the two men represented the business and artistic prowess which revitalized the company and turned it into what it is today.

They also reopened a Galician Research institute which had been closed during the dictatorship, host a museum devoted to exiled Galician artists, and their galleries sponsor art exhibits, lectures and workshops.

“We’re not a business that’s here to make money, we’re a cultural movement that’s trying to recover history,” Díaz Pardo said. “Our philosophy is design, and shapes are our language.”

I was lucky enough to live in Galicia for one year, where I worked as an English teacher in the city of Vigo. I will never forget the incredible hospitality of the Galician people, their extraordinary culture and mythological folklore, green landscapes and the incredible seafood, local organic fruits and vegetables, and locally produced spirits.

The forests, nature reserve and Cies islands were unbelievably beautiful and rich in biodiversity.  Much of what I visited and saw in Galicia was visually amazing, it was very lush and green, and during the winter, extremely misty and rainy!  The four Rias Gallegas, or natural estuarine inlets, rich in marine life, are a spectacular place for tourists to visit. The distinctive fishing villages and spectacular beaches with transparent turquoise waters which make up the Rias, made Galicia a truly unique experience.

Sargadelos can be purchased directly from their website, or at Celt-Iberia Traders.

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