Portuguese filigree. From technical expertise to elegant usage.

Housed in an emblematic 19th century building in the heart of Porto, the House of Filigree is divided into three areas: the Museum, the Atelier and the Boutique. The house was born by the hands of Luísa and Pedro Rosas, children of David Rosas - founder of the high jewellery and watchmaking company of the same name - and belonging to the fifth generation of a family from Gondomar with links to goldsmithing since the mid-19th century.

Opened in December 2019, House of Filigree's mission is to protect and promote Portuguese Filigree - with a tradition of culture and excellence in Portugal - which is threatened and devalued by the proliferation of industrial pieces, mass-produced by injection moulding.

The museum offers an immersive journey through the universe and history of Portuguese filigree art, curated by Paulo Valente. The permanent exhibition, entitled ‘Portuguese Filigree. From technical expertise to elegant usage' features a collection of emblematic pieces dating from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, as well as a set of various tools used in traditional production, from the preparation of the thread to the construction of the frame and filling.

The exhibition catalogue complements and expands the knowledge of Portuguese filigree. With texts by Gonçalo de Vasconcelos e Sousa and Rosa Maria Mota, it explores the historical context and imagery of this technique, with entries on the filigree pieces in the collection.

It is presented as a useful artefact for understanding the world of filigree, in a bilingual edition (Portuguese/English), in a luxurious edition that is an essential reference on this ancient jewellery technique and its history in Portugal.