"Don Quixote" Lladró

"Don Quixote" LLADRÓ.
Polychrome and glazed porcelain.
Wood and velvet base.
With mark of manufacture.
Measurements: 38 x 44 x 16 cm (figure); 41 x 47 x 18 cm (with base).

Representation of Don Quixote de la Mancha, seated in a low chair, with melancholic and reflective demeanor. His figure, with long and thin limbs, transmits fragility. He holds an open book on his lap, while his right hand, relaxed, rests his sword, symbol of his chivalric ideals. The serene gesture and languid posture evoke a moment of introspection and reverie.

The ceramic and porcelain firm Lladró was founded in 1953 by brothers Juan, José and Vicente Lladró, who created their first pieces with an experimental vocation, in a Moorish oven built in their own home in Almàssera, Valencia. In this way they gave vent to their artistic restlessness while working in a tile and tableware factory. In 1958 the three brothers decided to dedicate themselves exclusively to their own production, and moved their small business to the neighboring town of Tabernes Blanques. By this time, the demand for Lladró creations reached unexpected dimensions. The brothers introduced innovations not only in the design and style of the figures, but also in the firing techniques, managing to reduce firing from three stages to one. Single firing is a pioneering method that makes it possible to obtain the crystalline finish and pastel shades characteristic of Lladró pieces. A growing number of sculptors, chemists and decorators multiplied the work of the founders, and by the end of the fifties the first Lladró store was opened in Valencia. In the following decade, the company's exporting vocation began to take on importance, and the firm entered the Canadian and American markets.