Vista Alegre porcelain from Portugal, since 1824Vista Alegre for hospitality

Two hundred years of porcelain from Ílhavo

Vista Alegre porcelain comes from Ílhavo, in the Aveiro region of Portugal. José Ferreira Pinto Basto founded the factory in 1824, with a licence from King João VI. Five years later it received the title of Royal Factory. At Debecker you will find Vista Alegre for hospitality and for the home: 42 items in 6 collections, with the focus on plates for fine dining.

In its first years Vista Alegre made glass and earthenware. Only when kaolin was found north of Ílhavo in 1832 did porcelain become the main product. That raw material is still the base of every plate shown below.

Chefs' Collection: plates designed with chefs

For the Chefs' Collection, Vista Alegre works with chefs from Portugal and beyond. Every plate is made to carry a dish: Natura at 33 cm with a wide flat rim, Fluctus and Bordado at 31 cm, Coral with an irregular rim that recalls coral, Atlantis and Spiral Gourmand at 32 cm.

At Debecker the Chefs' Collection has 24 pieces. Rotondo at 30 cm also comes with a lid, for a dish revealed at the table. Spider Crab is a 19 cm dish, Leaf a narrow 28 x 8 cm plate for a row of bites, and Egg a porcelain egg 14 cm tall.

Glossy, matt or biscuit

Several plates come in two finishes. Natura, Fluctus and the 25 cm dessert plate are available glazed or in biscuit, porcelain without glaze and with a matt surface. Coral and Naiz come in glossy and matt.

Glossy white makes a sauce shine, a matt or biscuit surface gives more contrast to colour on the plate. You can combine both on one table, as long as the shape stays the same.

White tableware for every day

Next to the Chefs' Collection there are five calmer collections. Texture White has bowls of 10 and 14 cm, a 16.5 cm bread and butter plate and four 33 cm presentation plates in relief: Drizzle, Krokodil, Rain and Schalen. Vernissage White has plates of 14, 21 and 29 cm, Infinita plates of 22 and 28 cm, a 30 cm oval platter and a 14 cm tasting plate.

Temptation White has two 29 cm plates with a small or a large centre, so the dish sits in a frame. Mineral has a round and a rectangular 23 cm plate in biscuit.

In the restaurant

A restaurant with a fixed menu picks one collection as its base and keeps the Chefs' Collection for the dishes that should stand out. The table stays calm and every signature dish gets its own plate.