Catalan modernist fireplace, ca. 1900

Catalan Art Nouveau fireplace, ca. 1900
Carved walnut wood, ash panels and brass trim.
With mirror on top.
Exhibits wear consistent with age and use.
Needs refinishing.
Measurements: 300 x 180 x 55 cm.

Catalan modernist fireplace, probably from the circle of modernist decorators and cabinetmakers that was formed around Jaume Busquets, Gaspar Homar and Josep Pey. The quality of the carving can be appreciated in every detail of a piece of furniture in which the whimsical and delicate curve is the main feature. The beveled mirror is housed in a sinuous profile frame, which repeats as a visual echo the undulation of the outer profile and the top. The latter is decorated with a graceful bow. The lower body (the front of the chimney) follows the same principle in its prioritization of the organic element, based on enveloping meanders that arise from a series of vertical stems that run along the lateral pilasters. The vegetal growths, in the manner of coups-de-fouet, intertwine, percussing in attractive plastic cadences. At the level of the waist, small corbels protrude. The central opening is decorated with brass soffits chiseled with leaves, leaving a circular recess.