Francesc Masriera Manovens

Francesc Masriera i Manovens (21 October 1842, Barcelona — 15 March 1902, Barcelona) was a Spanish figure painter and goldsmith who was influenced by Orientalism.

Biography

He was born into a family of painters, set designers and silversmiths and began his artistic training in his father's workshop. When he was only thirteen, he went to Geneva to learn the techniques for painting on enamel. In 1857, he and his brother Josep (who would also become a well-known painter) were apprenticed in the workshop of , a professor at the Escola de la Llotja, followed in 1865 by a trip to London and Paris, where they may have briefly worked in the studios of Alexandre Cabanel.

He opened his first studio in 1871 and participated in the "Exposició General Catalana". The following year, he returned to Paris alone and established contact with Goupil & cie, one of the most important art dealerships at that time. He was awarded second prize at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in 1878 with his painting "La esclava" (The Slave),

As a jeweler, he was well known for his use of Plique-à-jour, a notoriously difficult technique. He was also an amateur playwright and a regular contributor to a weekly "magazine", El Recuerdo, created by his brother Josep and his friends, but never actually published.

Selected paintings