LUÍS MASRIERA JOAILLIER CATALAN OF THE NEW ART

Esprit Joaillerie invites you to discover the jewelry of Lluís Masriera, the Catalan jeweler of Art Nouveau.

Like a postcard, this article presents the achievements of this jeweler as well as painter from Barcelona. First of all, it must be said that Lluís Masriera He is recognized as one of the most renowned Catalan goldsmiths of Art Nouveau. He was born in 1872, the third generation of a family of jewellers from the early 19th century. To learn the trade of goldsmith, Lluís trained under his father, Josep Masriera y Manovens, a jeweller and painter.

Furthermore, to develop his creativity, Lluís learned the enamelling techniques in Switzerland with Frank-Édouard Lossier. Thus, he created new effects of materials and colors. Likewise, his trip to Paris in 1900 was decisive. Curious, he became interested in what was new, regardless of the field. There is no doubt that René Lalique’s work and a new modernist style will mark him. Since Lluís Masriera then developed the plique-à-jour enamel. In this way, he combined the traditional techniques of metal with those of translucent enamel. For these reasons, «the enamel of Barcelona» gained its fame.
Lluís often creates jewelry featuring female faces, such as nymphs or profiles of the Virgin Mary. Similarly, birds and landscapes can be found on pendants or brooches.

In 1906 he created a diadem that the Catalans would present to Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain.
Later, in 1915, the Masriera house and the jeweler J. Carreras formed a partnership and founded the company Masriera y Carreras.

Since 1985, the company Bagués-Masriera has been preserving the entire heritage of the Masriera and Masriera-Carreras houses in original designs and iconic pieces.

To put it simply, Lluís Masriera created his own version of the Art Nouveau style, which makes him worthy of being considered one of the great names of that period today.
Finally, for those of you who are curious, I recommend visiting the Masriera permanent collection on the first floor of the Hotel Baguès on the Ramblas in Barcelona. There you will see some creations and souvenirs from this magnificent goldsmith jeweler.

Hotel Baguès
La Rambla, 105
08002 Barcelona, Spain

Masriera
Passeig de Gràcia, 41
08007 Barcelona, Spain