Francesc Vidal Jevelli

FRANCESC VIDAL JEVELLÍ (Barcelona, 1848 - 1914).
Silló, ca. 1900.
Walnut frame, embossed leather upholstery.
Measurements: 104 x 69 x 64 cm.
Armchair designed by Francesc Vidal. The quality of the carving can be appreciated in every detail: the dragons that decorate the armrests, the crenellated profile of the back, flanked by scrolls, the cylindrical feet that synthesize the claw feet of the classic furniture... The cabinetmaker draws inspiration from different styles of the past to channel them into the current of Catalan modernism, of which Vidal was a prominent member.
A cabinetmaker and decorator, Francesc Vidal traveled to Paris to direct the exhibition of his father's bookbinding samples at the Universal Exposition of 1867, and there he had the opportunity to meet other young artists, to study at the School of Decorative Arts and to travel repeatedly around Europe. In 1878 he established himself as an art dealer, and in 1883 he inaugurated a building designed by Vilaseca, an unusual polytechnic complex, where he would work intensely from then on in the production of quality furniture, as well as its complements in glasswork, metalwork and foundry. In his studio Rigalt and Masriera collaborated in the foundry, and as designers Joan González, Gaspar Homar and Santiago Marco. Vidal's clientele included the high bourgeoisie and official corporations, and he made the furniture designed by Gaudí for the Palacio Güell. He exerted a great influence on the society of his time, and practiced patronage with talented young artists such as Pau Casals, Isaac Albéniz, C. G. Vidiella, etc. Simón Gómez, by portraying this outstanding cabinetmaker, carried out perhaps the best portrait of the Catalan painting of his time. Works by Francesc Vidal are currently preserved in the National Museum of Art of Catalonia and in the National Museum of Decorative Arts, as well as in important private collections.