The Douro in miniature

Rui Fonseca’s inclination for handicrafts dates back to his childhood and it is by using his hands that he gives physical shape to the pieces often born from his dreams. Rabelo boats, barrels and works in schist are just some of the objects that make up his repertoire of miniatures.

Influenced by his father, who devoted himself to this craft from an early age, the 42-year old craftsman displays now a series of objects created and made by him, using the Douro as his source of inspiration. “He used to make handicrafted pieces and I followed in his footsteps because, like him, I took pleasure in this kind of activity. But we each had our own methods and preferences.”

At school he was told he had a strong propensity for this art and his deftness with tools has always been praised. “I’ve always felt at ease with saws, files, sandpaper and hammers,” he recalls.

He has been doing this work for over 20 years. He started out by making leather belts, first for friends, then for people who sought him out after hearing about his masterly work. The first miniatures he made were rabelo boats, under the critical eye of his father.


Insights into the region

It is the Douro landscapes and motifs that most captivate Rui and stimulate him to continue in his work. His pieces reflect the imagery of the terraces, the wine and the boats that carry it. He also makes miniature barrels, objects in schist and wooden picture frames with photographs of the region.

His latest master piece is called “River Douro” and is a tribute to the waterway that bathes Régua’s shores. “I’ve already included it in my 2012 catalogue. It’s a very small piece in wood, featuring a miniature bottle of wine and a tiny rabelo boat sailing on a stylised River Douro.”

Rui also produces personalised pieces and his latest one deserves to be singled out. “As the rabelo boats have a cloth sail, we can use it to write what clients request. Normally, they say “Winegrowing Douro” but I’ve been known to draw by hand other phrases that were suggested to me,” he explains.

The materials he uses the most are wood and schist, but he has no qualms about adding metal or rubber pieces to his creations. The creative process has a dreamy quality, as some of the pieces are conceived while he rests. 

“I often wake up and draw what I dreamed about, but so far I haven’t been able to replicate exactly what I thought out. From start to end, I keep making changes and it’s always short of what I dreamt,” he says.

As his pieces gained a name on the market, others started to imitate his processes. “There were always people who tried to copy me, even when I only made leather belts, but they always had a hard time because my work was easily recognised. I’m a perfectionist in everything I do and always end up putting a lot of myself into the pieces.”

On account of this inordinate attempt to achieve such a degree of excellence, Rui says that, at times, his work is misunderstood. “Everybody has this notion that handicrafts are something rough, full of wood shavings, and my work suffers for being so perfect. I’m even frowned upon and I have the impression people mistrust work that is too perfect, because they think it’s something mass produced.”

His clients are usually people who have heard of his handicrafts or who know them already. Furthermore, it is always on display in shops in Peso da Régua, Vila Real and Porto.

The artist says that he cannot afford to have his miniatures for sale in more places because he doesn’t have the production capacity to sustain such a demand. “I make my pieces as the orders come in and then I send stuff to these shops when I can,” he explains.

Rui’s creative palette includes 49 items, with prices ranging from 2 to 30 euros.

Text: Patrícia Posse | Daniel Faiões 

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