Joan Piqué

JOAN PIQUÉ I CARBÓ (Barcelona, 1877–Santa Coloma de Farners, 1928).
“Bernat Metge’s Dream.”
Terracotta sculpture.
Measurements: 103 x 94 x 46 cm.
Exhibitions: Museu Europeu d’Art Modern (MEAM), “Dreams and Temptations: Catalan Sculpture in the Age of Modernism,” 2025. Reproduced in the catalog, p. 88.

This monumental and complex allegorical piece pays homage to the Catalan writer, humanist, and chancellor Bernat Metge (ca. 1350–1413), drawing direct inspiration from his magnum opus, *Lo Somni* (1399), one of the earliest manifestations of Humanism in Catalan literature. The sculpture is dominated by the idealized bust of Bernat Metge, with serene features and garments featuring rich ornamental embroidery. At his feet and surrounding his figure emerges a colorful and dynamic swarm of small figures in relief representing the allegorical visions and dreamlike worlds described in his dialogued prose. On the left and in the lower plane unfolds a Dantesque, infernal scene, populated by demonic creatures with bat wings, satyr-like beings, and tormented figures evoking human passions and Purgatory. Toward the right, the composition ascends with images of virtues, celestial allegories, angels bearing the cross, and the personification of Death with a scythe.
The work stands out for its extraordinary mastery of terracotta modeling, achieving an immense richness of textures, openwork, and hallmarks of classical serenity in the central bust and colorful narrative detail in the allegorical ensemble.
As Juan C. Bejarano states in his study “Joan Piqué i Carbó (1877–1928), a Professional Sculptor,” “trained at the Lonja School in Barcelona, Joan Piqué i Carbó practiced a style rooted in realist principles and placed it at the service of the dominant taste of the era. It is for this reason that he focused primarily on monumental sculpture and portraiture, thanks to the patronage of influential figures of the time from the ecclesiastical world, the aristocracy, and the political sphere.” Today, Joan Piqué represents the paradigm of Spanish academic sculpture from the late 19th and early 20th centuries—that is, the archetypal sculptor with an exquisite education, skilled and virtuosic in his technique, which he placed at the service of the dominant taste of the era, yet lacking in originality. The existence at that time of so many sculptors like him, with the same conservative artistic profile, meant that, despite the quality of his work, his name remained obscure for many, many years.