20199M-001

Catalan genius This unique piece in Grand Feu cloisonné enamel pays tribute to the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi and marks, in 2026, the 100th anniversary of his death. More particularly it celebrates the most emblematic of his buildings in Barcelona, whose roof of tiles resembling scales is said to symbolize the dragon slain by St George, patron saint of Catalonia. To do justice to the originality of Antoni Gaudi’s architectural forms, the enameller had to draw on every aspect of his expertise. Reproducing the vocabulary akin to that of Art Nouveau called for a length of about 16.09 m of gold wire (~28.88 g). The richness of the color palette necessitated an extraordinary 154 enamel shades, mainly transparent but with some opalescent and opaque. Miniature painting on enamel in 17 colors brought out the fine details of the Catalan architect’s style, reproducing the crackles in the ceramic, a medium dear to Gaudi. The relief effect obtained on some parts of the piece involved working the enamel to produce a sense of volume, a technique requiring extreme dexterity. Each enameled plate underwent from 9 to 10 firings at temperatures ranging from 890°C to 910°C. The hour circle presents a circular-grained decoration coated with white lacquer, while the numerals and hour markers are transfer-printed in 5 different vivid colors, harmonizing with those of the clock. The stylized hands in yellow gold display the technique of plique-à-jour enameling. This piece is powered by the caliber 17’’’ PEND mechanical movement rewound by an electric motor.