Socially Responsible Artisanship: The Amazōnia Collection of Fine Portuguese Porcelain
Tableware and home accessories collection tells the stories of the world’s largest rainforest
Good conversation is a necessary part of an enjoyable dinner party. And while we think of bringing out the best tableware for our guests to enjoy a fabulous dinner, we rarely rely on table settings to spur conversational points for the evening. At The Wren, we are marrying the art of fine tableware with the storyline of the vibrant life within the borders of the Amazonian jungle, where each piece tells a story of the flora and fauna of the rainforest’s villages.
Dedicated to bringing the world’s finest artisanship in home décor to our clients, The Wren introduces the Amazōnia collection of artful home accessories that draws inspiration from the Amazon rainforest. A partnership between heritage Portuguese porcelain and crystal manufacturer Vista Alegre and artist collaborative Ecoarts Amazōnia, whose founders hail from villages in the Brazilian rainforest, brings Portugal’s fine porcelain, crystal, earthenware and ceramics to life with images of thriving life within the borders of the Amazon.
This unique partnership melds the esteemed craftsmanship of Portuguese makers with the beauty of plants, trees and flowers surrounding the people who live in Brazil’s Amazon. With more than 70 pieces, Amazōnia encompasses three sub-collections. By setting your table with this fine tableware, you are supporting artisans and the reforestation of the Amazon, as Ecoarts Amazōnia donates part of its proceeds toward planting fruit trees in the rainforest’s villages and cities.
Ecoarts Amazonia performed an exhaustive research and discovery process to pull together the 225-year-old drawings of explorer Alexandre Rodrigues Ferreira, who explored the interior of Brazil’s rainforest and catalogued its plant life in more than 3,000 drawings during its early colonial days. Vista Alegre gives these rediscovered drawings new life on porcelain dinnerware and decorative objects. Many of these specimens have yet to be found again in our modern times, making each painted plate, teacup and saucer a testament to the untouched origins of the rainforest.
Another part of the collection features uniquely shaped earthenware using the late cartoon and ceramic artist Raphael Bordallo Pinheiro’s centuries-old hand-making techniques. These pieces lean on the naturalist portrayal of the unique colors, textures and shapes found in the rainforest.
Casa Alegre, a premiere brand of stone tableware and décor from Portugal, provides one-of-a-kind pieces for the Amazōnia collection. Casa Alegre’s mix-and-match dinnerware has a casual, young vibe. The Amazon’s flowers, plants and seeds inspire the artful designs on this luxury tableware line.
“Every piece of this fine ceramic, crystal and porcelain luxury home collection is inspired by and supports the tropical rainforest. It’s a tribute to ancient craftsmanship while supporting the ecosystem’s future,” says The Wren founder, Lori Bate. “By adding parts of the collection to your home, you are supporting age-old artisanship and also the vitality of the Amazon, which itself supports thousands of animal species, contains 40,000 plants, and produces 20% of the world’s supply of oxygen."
