Joan Busquets i Jané

JOAN BUSQUETS I JANÉ (Barcelona, 1874–1949)
“Virgin and Child.”
Ceiling panel made of fruit tree wood with mother-of-pearl inlay and set stones.
Signed in the lower right corner with a brass inscription.
Measurements: 120 x 72 cm.
A panel with a distinctly Modernist character, in which Joan Busquets i Jané elevates the traditional technique of marquetry to a fully artistic language. The depiction of the Virgin and Child takes on a particular elegance thanks to the interplay of tones, grain, and textures of the fruitwoods, enriched by the shimmer of mother-of-pearl and the set gemstones. The revival of marquetry as an artistic medium was one of the defining features of Modernist furniture and the decorative arts. In Busquets’s case, this technique became one of the fundamental elements of his work.
Born in Barcelona in 1874, Joan Busquets i Jané was one of the leading furniture makers and interior designers of Modernist Barcelona. He trained at the Llotja School of Arts and Crafts, where he completed his studies in 1895–1896, and joined the family business, which would eventually become the renowned Casa Busquets. Around 1900, he took the helm of the firm, which went on to become one of the major centers for the production and dissemination of the decorative arts in Barcelona. The significance of his career is reflected in the presence of numerous works and projects of his in the collections of the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, which houses furniture, drawings, and marquetry designs he created. Furthermore, Busquets played a prominent role in promoting Catalan decorative arts: he founded the Foment de les Arts Decoratives in 1903 and served as its president from 1918 to 1923. In 1925, he participated in the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, where he was awarded a gold medal.