Daniel Zuloaga

DANIEL ZULOAGA (Madrid, 1852 – Segovia, 1921).
Orza de Cantalapiedra with the Catholic Monarchs; Neo-Renaissance series.
Glazed terracotta with a wrought-iron base.
It shows restoration at the mouth and signs of wear.
Measurements: 100 x 60 cm; 125 cm (height with base).
The figure is decorated with a central scroll motif featuring a half-length portrait of a couple. The inscription above them reads “Tanto monta,” a reference to the phrase “Tanto monta, monta tanto Isabel como Fernando,” alluding to the Spanish Catholic Monarchs. Additionally, the back of the jug features the coats of arms of both monarchs.
A prominent ceramist and painter trained at the Sèvres School of Ceramics, where he was a student of Salvetat and Regnault, Daniel Zuloaga was the uncle of the famous painter Ignacio Zuloaga. Together with his brothers, he founded the Royal Factory of La Moncloa. He later established workshops in Vallehermoso, Segovia, and Pasajes de San Juan as well. He created numerous ceramic murals, such as those on the façade of the Palacio de Velázquez and the stove in the Palacio de Cristal in the Retiro Park, and held solo exhibitions in various locations throughout Spain; of particular note was his 1916 exhibition at the Sala Parés in Barcelona, where he enjoyed great success with both sales and the public. He also taught at the School of Arts and Crafts in Madrid, beginning in 1889. He was a corresponding member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Zaragoza, and the year after his death, a posthumous exhibition was dedicated to him at the Museum of Modern Art in Madrid. His works are currently on display at the museum named after him in Segovia.