Alexandre de Riquer

ALEXANDRE DE RIQUER INGLADA (Calaf, Barcelona, 1856 - Palma de Mallorca, 1920).
"Cover of the book: Para ellas. Collection of Novelitas y Cuentos originales de Adela Sánchez Cantos de Escobar (1896)", 1896.
Ink drawing on paper.
Signed in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 31 x 24 cm; 45 x 41 cm (frame).

The cover project by Alexandre de Riquer is composed of three very well ordered levels. Riquer was also in charge of the design of the spine, which in this case, unlike many of the other spines in the collection, was designed exclusively for this work. This book was printed in dark green and a small run in red. The central scene shows two women seated in a garden. One of them holds a book while the other listens to her explanations. Riquer's project is signed and dated in the lower left corner and the dimensions of the drawing are 31 x 24 cm.

Between 1890 and 1916, the publishing house Montaner y Simón Editores of Barcelona published a series of works in deluxe bindings with illustrated covers. Many of these covers were made by artists such as Alexandre de Riquer, Adrià Gual, Gaspar Camps, Josep Triadó or Josep Pascó among others. This collection of illustrated books quickly became collector's items. Their illustrated covers and elaborate spines allowed the collection to be unified.

Alexandre de Riquer was in charge of illustrating seven of the covers of this collection. So far it was known that he had illustrated six of them: "Para ellas: colección de Novelitas y Cuentos originales" by Adela Sánchez Cantos de Escobar (1896), "La ciencia moderna: sus tendencias y cuestiones con ella relacionadas" by Julio Broutá (1897), "El ídolo de Garcia Lavedese "(1897), "Antología Americana" (1897), "La perfecta casada" by Fray Luís de León (1898), "Cantares" by Melchor de Palau (1900) and "Astronomía popular" (1901).

Alexandre de Riquer worked with this collection between 1896 and 1901. Until now it was unknown the fact that Alexandre de Riquer also made the cover of the book "Astronomía popular" (1901) that in the cover appears signed under the name of Josep Triadó but that in fact it was executed by Alexandre de Riquer in the great majority and adapted to the editorial needs by Josep Triadó who continued working some years more in this series. We believe that Alexandre de Riquer delivered the cover project to the publisher but due to incorrect dimensions, Josep Triadó had to enlarge Riquer's project and add the title Astronomía Popular and lengthen Riquer's composition with a globe. When adapting Riquer's original project they had to remove his original signature and so Josep Triadó signed the title page, which has led experts and historians who have studied this collection to think that the title page was the work of this artist.

Alexandre de Riquer made the illustrations for the interiors of the following books of this same collection: "Si yo fuera rico!" (1896), "Vida de la Virgen María" according to the venerable "Sor María de Jesús de Agreda" (1899) and an illustration for the "Libro de oro de la vida" (1905).

In this auction we present the original drawings for the first and the last cover that Alexandre de Riquer made for this collection of illustrated books. Three of the other covers he made for this collection are preserved in the MNAC (La ciencia moderna, El ídolo and Antología Americana). The covers of the book Cantares and La perfecta casada are unaccounted for.