{"id":150440,"date":"2024-08-16T10:25:46","date_gmt":"2024-08-16T08:25:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bellesguardgaudi.com\/?p=150440"},"modified":"2024-08-16T10:27:59","modified_gmt":"2024-08-16T08:27:59","slug":"did-you-know-the-lion-and-the-unicorn-hidden-of-bellesguard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bellesguardgaudi.com\/en\/did-you-know-the-lion-and-the-unicorn-hidden-of-bellesguard\/","title":{"rendered":"Did you know? The Lion and the Unicorn (hidden) of Bellesguard"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Ferran Garc\u00e9s<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Torre Bellesguard gathers a series of fabulous animals that form a symbolic bestiary of their own, as often happens in modernist buildings and especially in Gaud\u00ed\u2019s work. In other posts, we have already talked about them (link<\/a>). Today we want to add a couple more that, for a long time, remained hidden even from their owners. A lion and a unicorn.<\/span><\/p>\n

Their discovery happened entirely by chance when a piece of the *trencad\u00eds* (mosaic) from the small balcony of the house\u2019s lobby was lifted. It is a fragment of the base. Since it is a white *trencad\u00eds*, unlike other Gaud\u00ed works famous for their colorfulness, the surface of this balcony does not show great details that catch the eye (only some very small motifs that are not visible at first glance). Almost all of its pieces are white, without any decoration. Consequently, the surprise here was behind the piece, on the reverse side, where no one could see it. A double surprise, then. First, because logically, nothing suggested it could be there, and second, because this motif shows the logo of an English ceramics company…<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

From England to Barcelona<\/strong><\/p>\n

The accidental discovery shows the logo of Alfred Meakin Ltd, an English company that operated between 1875 and 1976 (it still exists today but was absorbed by Churchill Group, an English company founded in 1795). At the time Gaud\u00ed was building Torre Bellesguard, between 1900 and 1908, the factory was at its peak, an achievement that translated into exports to various countries.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Alfred Meakin was famous for white granite items and a type of ceramic called \u201cironstone china,\u201d as we read on the piece found in Bellesguard. Despite its name, this term refers to a type of ceramic invented in the United Kingdom in the early 19th century (link to its history<\/a>). It is an alternative to porcelain, somewhat heavy but cheaper to produce. Some plates and bowls from that time are preserved in the National Trust Collections (NTC link<\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

More Questions than Answers<\/strong><\/p>\n

For now, we do not have enough information to answer the many questions posed by such an unexpected find. Are all the pieces on the balcony from the same manufacturer? What was their original appearance before being turned into *trencad\u00eds*? Did they belong to a plate, a bowl, a soup tureen? How did they get to Bellesguard?…<\/span><\/p>\n

The only thing we can say is that, according to the evolution of Alfred Meakin\u2019s logo (link<\/a>), our piece could date from 1897. The image corresponds to the coat of arms of the United Kingdom, featuring a lion, the symbol of England, and a unicorn, the symbol of Scotland (2).<\/span><\/p>\n

We also know that Gaud\u00ed used pieces bought or made to order, but above all, what makes his style unique were the discarded pieces collected by himself and\/or his workers, a resource that has made *trencad\u00eds* a precursor of 20th-century avant-garde movements, such as collage and *arte povera* (1).<\/span><\/p>\n

We can\u2019t add much more for now. But why not imagine a story from this unexpected piece? Who brought it? Through how many hands did it pass before being hidden in the base of the Torre Bellesguard lobby? If you come up with any stories, don\u2019t hesitate to send them to us.<\/span><\/p>\n

Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n

(1) Duran, Oriol (06\/03\/2023) \u201cGaud\u00ed, what *trencad\u00eds*!\u201d newspaper *El Punt Avui*. Summary of an exhibition held at Palau G\u00fcell in 2023.<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.elpuntavui.cat\/cultura\/article\/19-cultura\/2296789-gaudi-quina-trencadissa.html<\/span><\/p>\n

The mentioned coat of arms appears at the beginning of the 17th century. However, outside of heraldry itself, this pair of animals, the lion and the unicorn, form a very popular image in British culture, thanks to a series of legends and children’s tales. One of the most popular English folk songs, in fact, talks about them: \u201cThe lion and the Unicorn \/ were fighting for the crown.\u201d Well-known illustrators like L. Leslie Brooke and John Tenniel, have recreated this song, legends, and tales (link<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Ferran Garc\u00e9s The Torre Bellesguard gathers a series of fabulous animals that form a symbolic bestiary of their own, as often happens in modernist buildings and especially in Gaud\u00ed\u2019s work. In other posts, we have already talked about them (link). Today we want to add a couple more that, for a long time, remained […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":150419,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-150440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-a-day-like-today"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDid you know? 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