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The sea in 15th and 16th-century Portuguese history has exerted a strong influence on the pottery of Laurinda Pias. During that time the Portuguese discovered sea routes to India and Brazil. They navigated the oceans from the northern Atlantic to the shores of Australia, and ventured inland across Africa. Laurinda has sculpted the outstanding protagonists of this period of exploration, including Prince Henry the Navigator (1394–1460), who established the naval college at Sagres. 'Infante D. Henrique' was responsible for the early development of Portuguese exploration and maritime trade with other continents through the systematic exploration of western Africa, the islands of the Atlantic Ocean, and the search for new routes. Henry is regarded as the patron of Portuguese exploration.

Green glazed ceramic bust of a male (Henry the Navigator) wearing a hat and jacket. He has a protruding nose, mouth and ears, long hair and a moustache. Wide ribbons extend down from the top of the hat to his shoulders, and there is small cap-like hat on his left shoulder.