Portuguese Pottery

While you probably don't realize it, pottery from Portugal is all the rage right now. Turn over most plates, bowls, and mugs you find at Williams-Sonoma or Crate&Barrell and you'll see "Made in Portugal." One reason I think we're importing so much from Portugal is that the country is doing an excellent job of promoting their handicrafts. When I started researching European ceramics, I found the Portuguese artists/manufacturers by far the easiest to deal with. They responded to me quickly via email, sent me high quality catalogues, and were eager to arrange meetings with me.