Alexandre de Riquer

ALEXANDRE DE RIQUER INGLADA (Calaf, Barcelona, 1856 - Palma de Mallorca, 1920).
Cover of the book "Popular Astronomy", 1901.
Drawing in ink and chalk on paper.
Signed in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 30 x 26 cm; 49 x 44,5 cm (frame).

Alexandre de Riquer also made in 1901 an Ex-libris for Rafael Patoxt where Urania, the muse of Astronomy, is also shown. In the ex-libris she appears reading a book surrounded by stars, the same as in the composition he made for the cover. This curiosity is due to the fact that the two pieces must have been made at the same time, since the stars, the outline of the figure and the contrast of the hanging black and white volumes are very similar in both works.

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 that Alexandre de Riquer also made the cover of the book "Astronomía popular" (1901), which appears on the cover signed under the name of Josep Triadó, but in reality was mostly executed by Alexandre de Riquer and adapted to the editorial needs by Josep Triadó, who continued working on this series for a few more years. 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.