Lladró

LLADRÓ. Valencia, 20th century.
"Shepherd with sheep".
Hand painted porcelain.
With marks on the back.
Presents breakage in one ear of the sheep.
Measurements: 71 x 46 x 34 cm.

Sculptural group of the house Lladró, representing a shepherd carrying a sheep on his shoulders. The realistic precision is expressed in every detail of the clothing and the aged face.

The artistic porcelain firm Lladró was founded in 1953 by the 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 typical 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.