Private collecting has been a consolidated practice in Portugal since the 20th century and has continued into the 21st. This article examines the formation of the João Maria Ferreira collection, composed of 19th and 20th century ceramics from Caldas da Rainha. It also presents case studies of three other collectors — Alfredo Lucas Cabral, Artur Maldonado Freitas, and António Capucho — with the aim of understanding how these collections began, how they were assembled, what they shared in common, and their role within the Portuguese national context.