Ramon Amadeu

RAMON AMADEU GRAU (Barcelona, 1745 - 1821).
"Four crib figures.
Polychrome terracotta.
Signed.
They were part of a monumental nativity scene.
Conservation: the ox presents lack of polychrome in the left eye and small losses; the cow shows imperfections in the back leg and horn; the colt, restored breakage in three legs.
Measurements: 21,5 x 18 x 8 cm (horse); 11 x 25 x 9,5 cm (ox); 13,5 x 18,5 x 7 cm (cow); 9 x 14 x 6,5 cm (foal).

Ramon Amadeu, by means of sculptures like the ones we show, elevated the traditional genre of pesebrismo to an artistic category comparable to the cultured sculpture, influencing in a lasting way in later generations.

Amadeu Grau was an outstanding Catalan sculptor, active between the late Baroque and early Neoclassicism. In 1770 he joined the guild of sculptors, architects and carvers of Barcelona, and in 1778 he was admitted as a supernumerary professor at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid.

Many of his works are preserved in museums and churches in Barcelona and Olot, although much of his religious production has suffered losses due to conflicts and destruction over time.