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ACONCHEGO

Aconchego

Trav. Sto. António A Santos, 26-A

1200 Lisboa

Tel/Fax 390 70 27

Hours Monday - Friday 15:00 - 19:00

Reproductions of the original "Chitas de Alcobaça" Large variety of patterns 100% cotton width 1.5 meters.

During a lifetime, who hasn't heard of the bed covers, scarves or printed cotton from Alcobaça ?

Many have inherited scarves or bed covers or even simple pieces of cotton because they were beautiful became ancient, or kept them as souvenirs, others still collect them, but does anyone find out about their origin ?

Various information proceeded from different sources indicate that the hawkers obtained them from peasants on mountain ranges in the regions of Alcobaça and Torres Novas. The first registered factory we know about was founded in 1774 and was probably initiated in the south aisle of the Alcobaça Monastery. Here, a kind of handkerchief was being done known as "de Alcobaça" and was cited by various Portuguese writers. In 1775 we get the information that the first stamping shop was going to be installed in Azaeitão in the Palace of the Dukes de Aveiro. After that, many factories were registered. It doesn't seem impossible to imagine that one or more of these factories made "de Alconaça" cotton with characteristics such as : thick light or dark colored stripes together with a variety of decoration elements like birds, exotic birds, other animals, flowers, human European or Oriental figures, cornucopias, baskets, tropical fruits, amphora's nests, tropical fruits, a susceptible world for feeding ones imagination. The decoration that is part of the whole composition, on the contrary of what is thought is not Portuguese - the sides that are turned around, the border bands are originally Indian although pretty atteredin  the ornamentation by the Portuguese.  It is only original the dark blue coloring which was easily adapted by the Portuguese stamping shops. In 1498, Vasco da Gama brought the so called "Pintados" or "Chitas" and gave the Portuguese an open commerce with India.

It has been unknown what kind of use the "Pintados" had to the Portuguese but we do know that the English saw them for the first time when they attacked the Portuguese and Spanish boats.

The "Chitas" on the bed covers of Alcobaça are done the same in all Europe, brought from the East in adoptions from the English and French drawings from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Made in Portugal? Since when and where? It doesn't seem wrong to consider them, in most of the cases a 19th century product. Meanwhile, lets not forget that there was a lot of unknown business done with India, unregistered but not less important. Someone from the lands could have bought the so called Calicô - chita and had it copied and named as the Alcobaça.

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