Francesc Vidal i Jevellí

FRANCESC VIDAL I JEVELLÍ (Barcelona, 1848–1914).
Modernist writing desk, ca. 1900–1910.
Carved and turned mahogany, with gilded decoration, cloisonné stained-glass panels made of glass granules, and brass hardware.
Folding central front panel that reveals a writing surface, compartments, and small drawers.
Comes with keys.
Exhibits sligthly wear on the finishes, and isolated missing pieces in the glass beads.
Measurements: 155 x 120 x 50 cm.

With an architectural structure, the piece combines the functions of a desk, cabinet, and bookshelf. The lower section closes with two doors decorated with glass panels featuring stylized geometric and botanical motifs, while the upper section is centered around a folding front panel with a rich floral composition and a central monogram. When opened, it reveals a writing surface and an interior divided into compartments by small light-wood drawers and compartments.

The open, staggered side sections are organized by slender turned columns and topped with openwork cornices featuring undulating lines. The gilded decoration highlights moldings, friezes, capitals, and floral motifs, creating a luminous contrast with the reddish hue of the mahogany. The curved profiles, interlacing patterns, and forms reminiscent of the “coup de fouet” style place the piece within the language of early 20th-century Catalan Modernism.

Of particular note are the cloisonné stained-glass panels, created using small pieces of colored glass arranged in compartments delineated by fine metal profiles. Their rich color palette and floral design are part of the international renewal of the glass arts that took place around 1900, in harmony with the creations of Louis Comfort Tiffany. Francesc Vidal incorporated this technique into the production of his Barcelona workshop around 1899, following his son Frederic Vidal i Puig’s training in London, and applied it to furniture, lamps, and screens of exceptional ornamental richness. In this piece, the integration of cabinetmaking, glasswork, and metalwork reflects the unified conception of the decorative arts that characterized the work of Francesc Vidal.

Francesc Vidal i Jevellí was one of the great pioneers of Modernism and interior design in Catalonia. After training in Paris, he founded an innovative complex of workshops in Barcelona that brought together cabinetmakers, glassmakers, metalworkers, and designers. He worked for the Royal Household, the Marquis of Comillas, and prominent members of the bourgeoisie, and his workshops produced some of the furniture for the Palau Güell. His work is represented in the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya and the Museu del Disseny de Barcelona.