Picked in the Montemuro mountains (Resende, Cinfães and Castro Daire) it is in S. João do Castelo in Frende (county of Baião) that the broom baskets are made. The different sizes and shapes also allow for different uses: both domestic and decorative.
This traditional art was mainly concerned with the production of items for domestic use, the most common example being safate for bread or eggs. The progressive introduction, in everyday habits, of new industrially produced materials and utensils, largely contributed to the decline of this handicraft.
Nowadays, the artisans continue to make traditional models for decorative use, introducing smaller sized models for the use at events, such as the “Dedal” or “Garrafeira” baskets.
The contact of these artisans with new projects, led by visual designers and artists has also enabled the introduction of traditional techniques and the use of this type of broom in the creation of new products, and contributed to the innovation of models by the artisans themselves.
