Joan Busquets

JOAN BUSQUETS I JANÉ (Barcelona, 1874 - 1949).
Set of seven modernist chairs.
Walnut, mahogany, Hungarian ash, marquetry of 15 fruit woods and mother of pearl.
With metal plate from the workshop of Joan Busquets.
Exhibits wear consistent with age and use. In need of refinishing.
Two backrests need restoration.
Measurements: 100 x 42 x 50 cm.

High quality set representative of Barcelona's Modernism, conceived as a unitary set of chairs for bourgeois dining room. The chairs have a slender and architectural structure, with trapezoidal seats and legs joined by an "H" frame, evoking the tradition of the Spanish friar. The design combines neo-Gothic references - lowered arches, turned columns with medieval-inspired capitals and carved vegetal motifs - with the fluidity of lines and decorative naturalism of modernist language.

The high backrests, which open slightly backwards for greater comfort, are articulated by a central upholstered panel, decorated with a carved leaf and flanked by rosettes in relief, harmoniously integrating structure and ornamentation. The marquetry and mother-of-pearl details add refinement without overloading the whole, reflecting the high technical level of the Busquets workshop, one of the most outstanding in modernist Catalonia and comparable to that of Gaspar Homar.

This set is an outstanding example of Catalan artistic furniture from the early 20th century, in line with works by Joan Busquets that are today conserved in institutions such as the National Art Museum of Catalonia, the Güell Palace and the Museum of Catalan Modernism.