Portugal · Embroidery; Silk work; Portuguese heritage
Colcha Bordada de Castelo Branco
The embroidered silk bedspread of Castelo Branco (Beira Baixa) — the most technically complex Portuguese embroidery tradition, using polychrome silk and wool threads on a fine linen or silk ground to produce a specific Renaissance-influenced design vocabulary of stylized flowers; birds; cavaleiros (horsemen); and the distinctive symmetrical tree-of-life border. The Castelo Branco colcha takes 1,000–3,000 hours to complete and is typically begun by a woman for her trousseau — an investment object passed across generations. The bordadeira reads silk thread sheen by the angle of the working light.
Risk level: Vulnerable · Not listed; included in Portuguese intangible heritage inventory; Castelo Branco embroidery is a registered geographical indication
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