Victoriano Codina Langlin

VICTORIANO CODINA LANGLIN (Barcelona, 1844 - 1911).
Untitled. Sketch for the original drawing of the basilica of the Mare de Déu de la Mercè in Barcelona.
Watercolor and pencil on paper.
Signed.
The paper has humidity stains.
Measurements: 25 x 26 cm.

These original drawings belonged to the intrados of the dome of the Basilica de la Mare de Déu de la Mercè of Barcelona that disappeared in the fire of 1936. In 1972 the underdome was restored, but with the current painting decoration by the artist Pau Macià i Pons. The watercolors are different versions of the representation of a female figure accompanied by a cherub and are the sketches of the paintings that crowned the dome of the basilica from 1888 until the fire of 1936.

Sculptor, painter, decorator and tapestry designer, Codina Langlin lived between Rome, Barcelona, Paris and London. It could be said that he was the only Spanish painter of the 19th century to establish his professional career in London, to the detriment of Rome and Paris. He began his training with Antonio Ferrán, and then continued at the School of Fine Arts in Barcelona, under the tutelage of his cousin the sculptor Juan Samsó. He won numerous awards, including the academic pension to continue his studies in Rome, where he attended the Academia Chigi. He exhibited at the Royal Academy in London and in various English cities, and participated in the Fine Arts Exhibitions of Barcelona and Madrid, as well as carrying out numerous commissions, both public and private, in Spain and England.