Lambert Escaler

LAMBERT ESCALER I MILÀ (Vilafranca del Penedès, 1874 - Barcelona, 1957).
Modernist gardener of the late nineteenth century.
Painted terracotta.
Signed on the back.
Measurements: 24 x 38 x 28 cm.

Sculptural planter made by the modernist artist Lambert Escaler. The piece takes the form of a nymph's head with serpentine hair, alluding to the modernist ethereal women par excellence, mysterious and seductive, integrated to nature.

Lambert Escaler was a multifaceted artist who stood out as a playwright and author of comedies and sketches, but mainly for his work as a sculptor and decorator. He is the author of several sculptural sets applied to buildings, polychrome terracotta pieces for the decoration of furniture, dioramas, nativity scenes, etc. At the height of modernism, his terracottas of female busts, such as the one presented here, with symbolist and Art Nouveau influences, brought him great recognition and commercial success. Part of his popularity was due precisely to the material with which these works were made, since they were much more affordable than those in marble or bronze. Escaler trained as a disciple of Josep Campeny, and began his career as a playwright. Later he made his first sculptures within the costumbrista realism of the time, although his style would soon evolve towards full modernism. Lambert Escaler is currently represented in the National Museum of Art of Catalonia and in the Museum of Popular Arts and Industries of Barcelona, as well as in numerous private collections.