The Portuguese Furniture in the First Decades of 19th century. The Furniture Factories and the New Inventions

Abstract

In  1832  the  owners  of  the  factories  established  by  charter  of  the  Royal Board  of  Trade  (Real  Junta  do  Comércio)  faced  a  strong  opposition  from  the  old corporations of mechanical craftsmanship. Like other corporated crafts, Cabinet-maker’s  guild  (Carpinteiro  de  Móveis  e  Semblagem)  submitted application against  the  owners  of  furniture  factories,  prompting  the  removal  of  all  licenses granted  by  the  Board  to  both  national  and  foreigners  producing works  of  "new invention or known utility of the kingdom".

In this context, we propose to analyze the conflict and, above all, to identify its   stakeholders,   e.g.   the   various   woodworkers,   mostly   foreigners,   who established  furniture  factories  in  Lisbon  during  the  1820s  and  1830s, and  their role  in  taste  updating  and  introduction  of  new  models  and  new techniques  in furniture.