Francesc Masriera i Manovens (21 October 1842,

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern 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 ...

— 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 Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...

figure painter and

goldsmith A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Nowadays they mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, goldsmiths have also made silverware, platters, goblets, decorative and servicea ...

who was influenced by

Orientalism In art history, literature and cultural studies, Orientalism is the imitation or depiction of aspects in the Eastern world. These depictions are usually done by writers, designers, and artists from the Western world. In particular, Orientalist ...

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 exactly synonyms as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are or were largely the same but the end product may vary gre ...

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 ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situ ...

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 Prado Museum ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It is widely considered to house one of the world's finest collections of European art, dating from th ...

a professor at the

Escola de la Llotja The Escola de la Llotja (, "Llotja School"; es, Escuela de la Lonja), 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 ...

, 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 painter. He painted historical, classical and religious subjects in the academic style. He was also well known as a portrait painter. According to ''Diccionario Enciclopedi ...

. 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; 28 November 185725 November 1885), also known as El Pacificador or the Peacemaker, was King of Spain from 29 December 1874 to his death in 188 ...

. In 1889, he was awarded a medal at the

Exposition Universelle Exposition (also the French for exhibition) may refer to: *Universal exposition or World's Fair *Expository writing **Exposition (narrative) *Exposition (music) *Trade fair * ''Exposition'' (album), the debut album by the band Wax on Radio *Exposi ...

. 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 Mon ...

. 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 Marià Josep Maria Bernat Fortuny i Marsal (; es, Mariano José María Bernardo Fortuny y Marsal; June 11, 1838 – November 21, 1874), known more simply as Marià Fortuny or Mariano Fortuny, was the leading Spanish painter of his day, with an ...

, created by

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

. 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 tra ...

, 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

File:Masriera Oriental.jpg, Harem Girl (c. 1890) File:Francesc Masriera - In the Presence of the Lord - Google Art Project.jpg, In the Presence of the Lord (1891) File:Masriera Salome.jpg,

Salome Salome (; he, שְלוֹמִית, Shlomit, related to , "peace"; el, Σαλώμη), also known as Salome III, was a Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II, son of Herod the Great, and princess Herodias, granddaughter of Herod the Great, a ...

(1888) File:Masriera reclining lady.jpg, Reclining Lady (1894) File:Francesc Masriera - Winter 1882 - Google Art Project.jpg, Winter (1882)

References

External links

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

Biography

Selected paintings

See also

References

Further reading

External links