5 Euro Portuguese tiles; 18th centuries

Portugal's azulejo tradition reached its most ambitious phase in the eighteenth century, when vast tile panels began covering entire church interiors, palace staircases, and garden facades — a scale of decorative ambition that consumed the output of Lisbon's tile workshops for decades. The 1755 earthquake and subsequent rebuilding under Pombal only accelerated demand, as newly constructed public buildings required rapid interior finishing at enormous volume.

Imprensa Nacional - Casa da Moeda has issued several collector pieces in this azulejo series, each tied to a specific century of the tradition's development.