as in the main european cities of the day, it was at the dawn of the 20th century that porto experienced the blossoming of the art nouveau movement. its architects tried to harmonize decorative expression with plants and flowers, often choosing commercial buildings and cafés for their work. new materials such as iron and glass evoked the power of industry and advances in science and technology since the previous century. some examples of such emblematic buildings are the café majestic, the ourivesaria cunha (goldsmiths) and reis & filhos, where techniques used with carved and chiseled silver were replicated with cast iron.