Francesc Masriera i Manovens (21 October 1842,

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

— 15 March 1902, Barcelona) was a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

figure painter and

goldsmith A goldsmith is a Metalworking, metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Modern goldsmiths mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, they have also made cutlery, silverware, platter (dishware), plat ...

who was influenced by

Orientalism In art history, literature, and cultural studies, Orientalism is the imitation or depiction of aspects of the Eastern world (or "Orient") by writers, designers, and artists from the Western world. Orientalist painting, particularly of the Middle ...

Biography

He was born into a family of painters, set designers and

silversmith A silversmith is a metalworker who crafts objects from silver. The terms ''silversmith'' and ''goldsmith'' are not exact synonyms, as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are (or were, at least) largely the same but differed in that t ...

s and began his artistic training in his father's workshop.Brief biography
@ the Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana When he was only thirteen, he went to

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

to learn the techniques for painting on enamel. In 1857, he and his brother Josep (who would also become a well-known painter) were apprenticed in the workshop of ,Brief biography
@ the

Museo del Prado The Museo del Prado ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It houses collections of Art of Europe, European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th ce ...

a professor at the

Escola de la Llotja The Escola de la Llotja (, "Llotja School"; ), officially the Escola d'Arts i Oficis de Barcelona (Barcelona Arts and Crafts School), is an art and design school located in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The school took its name from its initial ...

, followed in 1865 by a trip to London and Paris, where they may have briefly worked in the studios of

Alexandre Cabanel Alexandre Cabanel (; 28 September 1823 – 23 January 1889) was a French Painting, painter. He painted historical, classical and religious subjects in the Academic art, academic style. He was also well known as a portrait painter. He was Napoleon ...

. He opened his first studio in 1871 and participated in the "Exposició General Catalana". The following year, he returned to Paris alone and established contact with

Goupil & cie Goupil & Cie is an international auction house and merchant of contemporary art and collectibles. Jean-Baptiste Adophe Goupil founded Goupil & Cie in 1850. Goupil & Cie became a leading art dealership in 19th-century France, with its headquart ...

, one of the most important art dealerships at that time. He was awarded second prize at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in 1878 with his painting "La esclava" (The Slave), which was later purchased by King

Alfonso XII Alfonso XII (Alfonso Francisco de Asís Fernando Pío Juan María de la Concepción Gregorio Pelayo de Borbón y Borbón; 28 November 185725 November 1885), also known as ''El Pacificador'' (Spanish: the Peacemaker), was King of Spain from 29 D ...

. In 1889, he was awarded a medal at the Exposition Universelle. For most of his life, he was active in the family jewelry business, ''Masriera y Hijos'' (later, ''Hermanos Masrieras''). Between 1882 and 1884, he and Josep built an elaborate workshop on Bailen Street, modeled after the ancient Temple of Augustus on Mont Tàber. It was designed by

Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas (; Barcelona, Spain 1848–1910) was a Spanish architect and artist who formed part of the '' Modernista'' movement. He studied architecture in Madrid and qualified in 1873. He travelled with Lluís Domènech i Mont ...

. Flanking the entrance were statues of

Eduardo Rosales Eduardo Rosales Gallinas (4 November 1836 – 13 September 1873) was a Spanish painter. He was an adherent of the Italian-based art movement known as "Purismo" and specialized in historical scenes. Biography He was born in Madrid. The second ...

and

Marià Fortuny Mariano Fortuny y Marsal (June 11, 1838 – November 21, 1874) was a Spanish painter known for works focusing on Romantic fascination with Orientalist themes, historicist genre painting and military painting of Spanish imperial expansion. B ...

, created by

Josep Reynés Josep Reynés i Gurguí (1850, Barcelona, Spain - 4 June 1926, Barcelona, Spain) was a Spanish sculptor. He devoted himself primarily to interior decoration, but also created religious and funerary works. Life and work His first studies were a ...

. The Masriera's combined art collections were kept there and it became a major cultural center, featuring dramatic performances as well as art shows. In 1932, it became the Teatre Studium and was later connected to the adjoining buildings. It is now a residence for the nuns of the "Petita Companyia del Cor Eucarístic de Jesús".Taller Masriera
@ Barcelofília. As a jeweler, he was well known for his use of

Plique-à-jour ''Plique-à-jour'' (French for "letting in daylight") is a vitreous enamelling technique where the enamel is applied in cells, similar to cloisonné, but with no backing in the final product, so light can shine through the transparent or trans ...

, a notoriously difficult technique. He was also an amateur playwright and a regular contributor to a weekly "magazine", ''El Recuerdo'', created by his brother Josep and his friends, but never actually published.

Selected paintings

Francesc Masriera - Winter 1882 - Google Art Project.jpg, Winter (1882) (Barcelona) Before the Ball - Francesc Masriera - Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya.jpg, ''Before the Ball '' (1886) MNAC (Barcelona) After the Ball - Francesc Masriera - Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya.jpg, '' After the Ball '' (1886) MNAC Masriera Salome.jpg,

Salome Salome (; , related to , "peace"; ), also known as Salome III, was a Jews, Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II and princess Herodias. She was granddaughter of Herod the Great and stepdaughter of Herod Antipas. She is known from the New T ...

(1888) Masriera Oriental.jpg, Harem Girl (c. 1890) Francesc Masriera - In the Presence of the Lord - Google Art Project.jpg, In the Presence of the Lord (1891) Masriera reclining lady.jpg, Reclining Lady (1894)

References

External links

ArtNet: more works by Masriera
{{DEFAULTSORT:Masriera, Francesc 1842 births 1902 deaths 19th-century Spanish painters 19th-century Spanish male artists Spanish male painters Painters from Catalonia Spanish goldsmiths Orientalism Spanish Orientalist painters Painters from Barcelona

Biography

Selected paintings

See also

References

Further reading

External links