Joan Miro (1893-1983) - Lapidari-Ceranius

Unsigned workshop proof, with the seal of Talleres Calcográficos Joan Barbarà and certificate of Joan Barbarà

Magnificent workshop proof by Joan Miró, belonging to the Lapidari project or Llibre de les propietats de les pedres, published by Galerie Maeght in 1981.

This is an unsigned workshop proof, made at the Talleres Calcográficos de Joan Barbarà, Barcelona, and preserved exactly as it came out of the workshop. On the back it bears the Barbarà Workshop seal and it comes with a certificate from Joan Barbarà, confirming its execution using etching and aquatint techniques, with touches of colored pastel.

One of the most interesting and uncommon features of this piece is that it preserves the original Archés paper sheet intact, without cutting, just as it was used during the workshop process. This circumstance allows the work to be appreciated in a state especially close to the moment of its creation and constitutes a point of interest for collectors specialized in graphic art and workshop proofs by Joan Miró.

The work corresponds to Miró Grabador IV references 1147-1148.

The Lapidari Project

Under the title Lapidari, Joan Miró gathered twelve etchings and aquatints made in collaboration with the prestigious engraver Joan Barbarà. Once the prints were made, Miró worked with writer Pere Gimferrer on the conception of the edition as an artist’s book.

The project included a selection of eleven anonymous Catalan texts from the 15th century, chosen and foreworded by Gimferrer, dedicated to the properties attributed to different stones and their relation to the knowledge and secrets of medieval alchemy.

The collaboration between Miró’s graphic work and these old Catalan texts gave rise to one of the most unique artist’s book editions of Miró’s graphic production during this period.

The Talleres Calcográficos Joan Barbarà

The importance of this proof is reinforced by its provenance from the Talleres Calcográficos Joan Barbarà, one of the foundational workshops of contemporary engraving in Barcelona.

Through its facilities passed some of the most important artists in Spanish and international art of the 20th century, including Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Antoni Tàpies, Modest Cuixart, Josep Subirachs, Albert Ràfols-Casamada and Salvador Dalí, among many others.

All of them found in Joan Barbarà an extraordinary master engraver, capable of translating into the language of engraving the ideas and technical demands of great artists.

Characteristics
Artist: Joan Miró (1893–1983)
Title: Lapidari / Llibre de les propietats de les pedres / Ceranius
Year: 1981
Technique: Etching and aquatint, with colored pastel retouches
Support: Archés paper
Condition: Unsigned workshop proof
Seal: Talleres Calcográficos Joan Barbarà, Barcelona, on the reverse
Certification: Certificate of Joan Barbarà
References: Miró Grabador IV, no. 1147-1148
Printing: Talleres Calcográficos Joan Barbarà, Barcelona
Publisher: Galerie Maeght, 1981
Measurements: 35.5 x 100 cm (unfolded). 35.5 x 50 cm (blotch).
A piece of special interest for collectors of Joan Miró and historic graphic work, both for its status as a workshop proof and for preserving the original uncut paper, the Barbarà workshop seal, and Joan Barbarà’s certificate.