In the exuberant world of Baroque decoration two different materials deserve special mention in the context of Central European and Portuguese Baroque.
In the exuberant world of Baroque decoration two different materials deserve special mention in the context of Central European and Portuguese Baroque: stucco decoration made of an aggregate, a binder and water, an important part of the art of
bel composto; and
azulejos, the painted and glazed ceramic tile-pieces that were typically found in Portugal. In the second half of the 17th century
blue-and-white tiles from Delft were introduced to Portugal by Gabriel del Barco y Minusca. The turn of the century is considered the Golden Age of the
Azulejo (the Cycle of the Masters), characteristic for its Baroque rhetoric.