Lladro Figurines

By: Gene Lankov Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Lladró was born in the mid-1950s as a small family workshop in Almácera, a tiny farming community near the city of Valencia, on Spain's eastern Mediterranean coast. Three brothers Juan, José and Vicente decided to dedicate their free time to making ceramics as a means of improving their prospects for the future. They enrolled in the Valencia School of Arts and Crafts, where Juan and José studied drawing and painting, while the youngest brother, Vicente, took up sculpture. In order to put their new knowledge into practice, they built a Moorish-style kiln in the patio of their parents' home. They began manufacturing and selling their first ceramic flowers on the local market. Meanwhile, they had started to design and produce their own figurines in porcelain.

Later they moved to an Almácera Lladró markets its creations in over one hundred countries around the world. Lladró continues the grand tradition of porcelain making, preserving artistic techniques of classic 18th-century European styles, and reaching back to China's millennial heritage which has given us some of the most delicate works of art in history. Perhaps China's greatest gift to the world was the way it combined simple clay with "secret ingredients" to create a material which was both beautiful and practical: porcelain. It is believed that porcelain first appeared during the Tang dynasty (618-906).

Porcelain was viewed by European royalty as a highly desirable luxury product, a fitting way to pay them homage. The porcelain market looked insatiable. Meanwhile, in Vienna, Venice and other European cities, attempts were being made to create what was to become European porcelain.

The Lladró brothers creating their own formula for porcelain paste and refining their manufacturing techniques on all fronts: pigments, molds, varnishes, and firing times, resulting in pieces that not only incorporate great beauty, but emphasize quality of the highest kind. Ever since the three founders decided to pool their talents the relationship they have maintained with their collaborators has been very close, and very fruitful. The Lladró brothers have played the master to men of mastery, they have been mentors to disciples who have become inspired artists, and they have guided the steps of many talented people who have joined the staff. Lladró creations are born in this inspiring atmosphere existing in Porcelain City, Spain. Many themes can be turned into a new figurine. With their special feel for art, the Lladró family inspires their sculptors and collaborators to transform a bare idea into a fine work of art in porcelain.
Starting with items such as vases and jugs, it wasn't until 1956 that they started producing the sculptures for which they are now most famous. Enthusiasm for the items produced by the Lladró brothers saw their small workshop expand several times until eventually they moved to Tavernes Blanques in 1958.
The manufacturing ingredients are kept under tight guard. Lladró figurines are made out of an original blend of hard-paste porcelain, which gives the products their unique porcelain characteristics. The glaze ingredients also add to the look of the figures and is an industry secret.

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About The Author: Gene Lankov is the owner of
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