Plácido Zuloaga | |
---|---|
![]() Plácido painted by his son, Ignacio Zuloaga | |
Born | [1] | 5 October 1834
Died | 1 July 1910 75) [1] | (aged
Nationality | Spanish |
Known for | damascening |
Spouse(s) | Lucía Zamora y Zabaleta, Francisca Gil y Lete |
Relatives | Eusebio Zuloaga (father), Daniel Zuloaga (half-brother), Ignacio Zuloaga (son) |
Plácido Maria Martin Zuloaga y Zuloaga (5 October 1834 –1 July 1910) was a Spanish sculptor and metalworker. He is known for refining damascening, a technique that involves inlaying gold, silver, and other metals into an iron surface, creating an intricate decorative effect. Zuloaga came from a family of Basque metalworkers. He was the son of damascening pioneer Eusebio Zuloaga, the half-brother of the artist Daniel Zuloaga, and the father of the painter Ignacio Zuloaga. Taking over his father's armaments factory, he adapted it to make art pieces which he exhibited at international fairs, winning multiple awards.
His notable works include the altar for the Sanctuary of St. Ignatius at Loyola, the Fonthill Casket (an iron cassone with intricate decoration inside and out), and a monumental sarcophagus for the Prime Minister of Spain, Juan Prim. For twenty years, Zuloaga made works for the English collector Alfred Morrison. Many of those are now in the private collection of the British-Iranian scholar and philanthropist Nasser D. Khalili. Zuloaga trained many other artisans in his workshop, and Eibar continued as a centre of a damascening after his death.
Plácido Zuloaga was born 5 October 1834 in Madrid to Antonia and Eusebio Zuloaga. [1] He was the brother of Daniel Zuloaga, a painter and ceramic artist. [1] His father was the director of the Spanish Royal Armoury and a pioneer of damascening. [1] The Zuloaga family had been producing armaments at a workshop in Eibar in the Basque country as far back as 1596. [2] Plácido learned in his father's workshop from an early age. [1] At fourteen, he visited Paris where he learned from the armourer Lepage. Then in Dresden he studied under the sculptors Antoine-Louis Barye and Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux. [1]
In 1867 his father let him take over administration of the family factory in Eibar. [1] It is thought that he had already been carrying out his father's commissions for a decade at this point. [3] The workshop's royal commissions ended in 1868 when Queen Isabella II was exiled and Eusebio lost his position in the royal household. [4] Plácido contacted the English art collector Alfred Morrison, heir to a textile fortune, whom he had met at the 1862 International Exhibition in South Kensington, London. [4] Over a twenty-year period, Zuloaga and his workshop worked almost exclusively for Morrison, [4] adapting the factory to make damascened art works rather than armaments. [1]
Damascening involves indenting the iron surface, then pressing fine gold wire and heating the surface so that the gold forms a solid shape. [5] Whereas modern damascening uses acid etching to create the indentations, the Zuloagas did so with hand tools. [6] The younger Zuloaga refined his father's technique for roughening the surface of the iron, adding fine wires of gold and silver, then hammering the wires so that they joined together. Other hand tools were then used to impress designs onto the metal. [6] Zuloaga worked when gold was relatively abundant, and his works make greater use of it than later Spanish damascene. [7] His objects are so delicate they would be damaged by ordinary use as containers. Zuloaga's goal was beauty rather than practical utility. [8] To serve as references for his workshop, he collected sculptures, paintings, and plaster casts of armour pieces. [9] From 1860 to 1890, Zuloaga trained more than 200 artists in damascening. [10]
Zuloaga was skilled in all the techniques used by metalworkers of his time, including forging, relief chiselling, engraving, drawing and enamelling. [10] In order to create his most ambitious works in a reasonable time, he led a team of specialist artisans who carried out his designs, each object being produced by eight to twelve individuals. [10]
More than a hundred pieces of Spanish damascened metalwork, including 22 signed by Zuloaga, have been collected by the British-Iranian scholar and philanthropist Nasser D. Khalili, forming the Khalili Collection of Spanish Damascene Metalwork. [11] Included in these are the Fonthill Casket, a 201-centimetre-wide (79 in) iron cassone with gold and silver damascening, decorated with white enamel ornament in black. [12] Its artistic and decorative intent is revealed by it being elaborately decorated on the inside as well as out. [13] Commissioned by Alfred Morrison, it acquired its name from Fonthill manor, Morrison's family home. Zuloaga and his specialists took two years to construct the casket, [12] which was described by The Magazine of Art in 1879 as "a triumph of skilled workmanship". [8] Also commissioned by Morrison are a pair of amphora-shaped urns, 108 centimetres (43 in) high, from 1878 whose style imitated the medieval Alhambra vases. [14] Covered in intricate Hispano-Arabic decoration, possibly drawn from contemporary engravings of a specific Alhambra vase, these were exhibited in Paris before delivery to Morrison. [14]
A writing desk dated 1884–1885 has 44 drawers in a wooden case, each with enamelled floral patterns and a damascened metal button-pull. [15] Not a woodworker himself, Zuloaga subcontracted out the preparation of the wood and veneer. [15] A 47.3-centimetre-high (18.6 in) iron shrine dated 1880 recalls Gothic architecture in its overall shape, but the intricate damascened decoration is more suggestive of Art Nouveau. [16] It contains a cast silver figure of the Virgin and Child in a Gothic style. [16] Other objects signed by Zuloaga include a revolver, [17] snuff boxes, caskets, and containers of various dimensions. [18]
Around 1872, Zuloaga's workshop was commissioned to make the monumental sarcophagus for General Juan Prim. Work began in Eibar, but due to the civil war of 1873 he moved his workshop across to the border to Saint-Jean-de-Luz in France where the work was completed. Prim's tomb now resides in the cemetery at Reus. [19] Around 1900, Zuloaga was commissioned by the Society of Jesus to construct an altar for the Sanctuary of St. Ignatius at Loyola. This was the last major project that he completed, referred to sometimes as his "posthumous" work, although in fact the altar was completed and installed at Loyola in 1909 while he was still alive. [20] It was described by Pedro Celaya in 1981 as "one of the greatest works ... that has been produced in Eibar." [21]
Zuloaga died in Madrid at the age of 76 on 1 July 1910 and was buried at Canillejas. [10] Several of his trainees continued as noted artists, and Eibar continued as the centre of Spanish damascene production until the Spanish Civil War. [10]
During his life, Zuloaga was awarded the Officer of the French Legion of Honor, Knight Commander of the Order of Isabel the Catholic, Knight of the Great Cross of Charles III, Knight of the Great Cross of the Lion and Sword of Sweden, Cross of King Leopold of Belgium, Knight of the Portuguese Order of St. James, Grand Cross of Santiago of Portugal, and Knight of the Order of Maria Teresa of Austria. [1] [10] He won many gold and silver medals at national and international exhibitions. [10]
The critical reception of Zuloaga's art, and of Spanish damascened metalwork generally, has changed greatly over time. In 1872, the Keeper of Art Collections in the South Kensington Museum (later renamed the Victoria and Albert Museum) wrote that a Léonard Morel-Ladeuil vase decorated by Zuloaga "will be regarded as one of the greatest Art productions of the century". [22] An 1879 article in the Magazine of Art said that his works showed a patience and effort that "take one into an era when the fine arts producer devoted himself solely to the cause of his métier, apart from the commercial considerations of time, trouble and expense." [23] Early twentieth-century art critics took a more negative view of the Zuloaga family's works, but a new wave of interest and critical appreciation emerged in the last decades of that century. [22] Nasser Khalili, who writes that "Spain [has] always led the West in its beauty and quality of its damascene production", describes Zuloaga as "the supreme damascener of [his] family". [24]
Zuloaga exhibited his works at the 1855 Paris International Exposition (where he was awarded a Medal of Honour) and at the Madrid and Brussels International exhibitions of 1856, then at the Great London Exposition of 1862. [1]
More recently, his works in the Khalili Collections have featured in a multiple exhibitions. [25] "Plácido Zuloaga: Spanish Treasures from The Khalili Collection" was held at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London from May 1997 to January 1998. "El Arte y Tradición de los Zuloaga: Damasquinado Español de la Colección Khalili" toured Spain during 2000 and 2001, exhibiting in the Museo de Bellas Artes, Bilbao; Alhambra Palace, Granada; and Real Fundacion de Toledo. In 2003, "Plácido Zuloaga: Meisterwerke in gold, silber und eisen damaszener–schmiedekunst aus der Khalili-Sammlung" exhibited at the Roemer und Pelizaeus Museum in Germany. "Metal Magic: Spanish Treasures from the Khalili Collection" was exhibited from November 2011 to April 2012 at the Auberge de Provence in Malta. [25]
With his first wife Lucía Zamora y Zabaleta, he had ten children, five of whom survived to adulthood, including Ignacio Zuloaga, who would become a noted painter. [1] After Lucia died in 1900, he married Francisca Gil y Lete. [1]
Ignacio Zuloaga y Zabaleta was a Spanish painter, born in Eibar, Guipuzcoa, near the monastery of Loyola.
Juan Prim y Prats, 1st Count of Reus, 1st Marquis of los Castillejos, 1st Viscount of Bruch was a Spanish general and statesman who was briefly Prime Minister of Spain until his assassination.
Léonard Morel-Ladeuil, French goldsmith and sculptor, was born at Clermont-Ferrand.
Damascening is the art of inlaying different metals into one another—typically, gold or silver into a darkly oxidized steel background—to produce intricate patterns similar to niello. The English term comes from a perceived resemblance to the rich tapestry patterns of damask silk. The term is also used to describe the use of inlaid copper interconnects in integrated circuits. As its name suggests, damascene gets its name from Damascus, Syria and the ancient artisans that created and exported this craft.
Miyagawa (Makuzu) Kōzan (宮川香山) (1842–1916) was a Japanese ceramist. He was appointed artist to the Japanese Imperial household and was one of the major potters of the Meiji Era. From 1876 to 1913, Kōzan won prizes at 51 exhibitions, including the World's Fair and the National Industrial Exhibition. His name was originally Miyagawa Toranosuke.
Sir Nasser David Khalili KCSS PhD is a British-Iranian scholar, collector, and philanthropist based in London. Born in Iran and educated at Queens College, City University of New York and the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, he is a naturalised British citizen.
In 1898 Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild bequeathed to the British Museum as the Waddesdon Bequest the contents from his New Smoking Room at Waddesdon Manor. This consisted of a wide-ranging collection of almost 300 objets d'art et de vertu, which included exquisite examples of jewellery, plate, enamel, carvings, glass and maiolica. One of the earlier objects is the outstanding Holy Thorn Reliquary, probably created in the 1390s in Paris for John, Duke of Berry. The collection is in the tradition of a schatzkammer, or treasure house, such as those formed by the Renaissance princes of Europe; indeed, the majority of the objects are from late Renaissance Europe, although there are several important medieval pieces, and outliers from classical antiquity and medieval Syria.
The Sanctuary of Loyola or Loiola, or the Shrine and Basilica of Loyola, consists of a series of edifices built in Churrigueresque Baroque style around the birthplace of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus.
Daniel Zuloaga y Boneta was a Spanish ceramist and painter. He is considered to be one of the innovators of art pottery in Spain. He worked primarily from his workshops in Madrid and Segovia, but his work extended throughout Spain. He participated in various international exhibitions, and his pieces can be found in other European countries. His work was characterized by using ancient techniques. Through the influence of his father, Zuloaga worked in his youth at the Royal Palace of Madrid. After training in France, Zuloaga and his brothers opened their first shop in the Real Fábrica de La Moncloa, its most representative work being the facades of the Palacio de Velázquez. His other works can be seen at the Palacio de Cristal and the Hospital of Maudes, among many others.
Eusebio Zuloaga González, was a Spanish gunsmith. He is considered the initiator of the art of modern damascening. He was the first Spanish artist who achieved an international reputation, participating in the first international exhibition, The Great Exhibition in London in 1851. He received several awards in Spain, England, France, and Belgium. Zuloaga was director of the Royal Armoury of Madrid. Zuloaga served as head of the Royal Factory of La Moncloa.
Alfred Morrison was an English collector, known for his interest in works of art, autographs and manuscripts.
Namikawa Yasuyuki (1845–1927) — original family name Takaoka — was a Japanese cloisonné artist. His work was highly sought after in his own lifetime and is held in several collections today. He and Namikawa Sōsuke were the most famous cloisonné artists of the 1890 to 1910 period, known as the "Golden age" of Japanese enamels. From 1875 to 1915, he won prizes at 51 exhibitions, including at world's fairs and at Japan's National Industrial Exhibition. For his work he was appointed an Imperial Household Artist in 1896. He sometimes signed his pieces Kyoto Namikawa.
Kawade Shibatarō was a Japanese artist working in shippo. As head of the Ando Cloisonné Company, he introduced a number of technical innovations, expanding the colours that could be rendered in enamel and bringing the company to a new level of success. Under his leadership, the company exhibited at world's fairs, winning multiple awards. It was also appointed as an official supplier of cloisonné works for the Japanese imperial family.
The Khalili Collections are eight distinct art collections assembled by Nasser D. Khalili over five decades. Together, the collections include some 35,000 works of art, and each is considered among the most important in its field.
The Khalili Collection of Japanese Art is a private collection of decorative art from Meiji-era (1868–1912) Japan, assembled by the British-Iranian scholar, collector and philanthropist Nasser D. Khalili. Its 1,400 art works include metalwork, enamels, ceramics, lacquered objects, and textile art, making it comparable only to the collection of the Japanese imperial family in terms of size and quality. The Meiji era was a time when Japan absorbed some Western cultural influences and used international events to promote its art, which became very influential in Europe. Rather than covering the whole range of Meiji-era decorative art, Khalili has focused on objects of the highest technical and artistic quality. Some of the works were made by artists of the imperial court for the Great Exhibitions of the late 19th century. The collection is one of eight assembled, published, and exhibited by Khalili.
The Khalili Imperial Garniture is a trio of cloisonné vases created for a Japanese Imperial commission during the Meiji era. The items were exhibited at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, United States, in 1893, where they were described as "the largest examples of cloisonné enamel ever made". The decoration of the vases represents virtues and the seasons, and also has an allegorical meaning about Japan's role in a changing world and its alliance with the United States. After being exhibited, the vases were separated from each other for more than 120 years, eventually reunited in 2019 in the Khalili Collection of Japanese Art, a private collection assembled by the British-Iranian collector and scholar Nasser D. Khalili.
Yabu Meizan was a Japanese artist and workshop owner known for painting on porcelain. His studio produced high-end Satsuma ware, primarily for the export market. That term was originally coined for artistic painted porcelain from the Satsuma Province. Eventually it expanded to include low-quality porcelain that was mass-produced for export, whereas Meizan was one of the artists who continued the tradition of high artistic quality while also successfully exporting. He is regarded as the "prince" of this medium and today his works are sought after by collectors.
The Khalili Collection of Spanish Damascene Metalwork is a private collection assembled by the British-Iranian scholar, collector and philanthropist Nasser D. Khalili. It includes a hundred examples of damascened metalwork, in which gold or silver is pressed into an iron surface to create fine decoration. It is one of eight collections assembled, conserved, published and exhibited by Khalili, each of which is considered among the most important in its field. The collection includes art works from 1850 to the early twentieth century, including many from the workshop of Plácido Zuloaga and other works from artists trained or influenced by Zuloaga. Almost all the works are from Eibar or Toledo.
The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art includes 28,000 objects documenting Islamic art over a period of almost 1400 years, from 700 AD to the end of the twentieth century. It is the largest of the Khalili Collections: eight collections assembled, conserved, published and exhibited by the British-Iranian scholar, collector and philanthropist Nasser David Khalili, each of which is considered among the most important in its field. Khalili's collection is one of the most comprehensive Islamic art collections in the world and the largest in private hands.
Empire of the Sultans: Ottoman Art of the Khalili Collection was a 1995–2004 touring exhibition displaying objects from the Khalili Collection of Islamic Art. Around two hundred exhibits, including calligraphy, textiles, pottery, weapons, and metalwork, illustrated the art and daily life of six centuries of the Ottoman Empire. Many of the objects had been created for the leaders of the empire, the sultans. Two of the calligraphic pieces were the work of sultans themselves.
This article incorporates text from a free content work. Licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0. Text taken from The Khalili Collections , Khalili Foundation, .
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