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Masriera created this piece depicting the patron saint of Catalonia, Saint George, slaying a dragon in 1901-1902 after returning from the Exposition Universelle in 1900 where he decided to reinvent his entire manner of design including genre and style. The piece features the new staples of Masriera's Modernisme style including delicate gold work, plique-à-jour and basse-taille enamel work, and the incorporation of precious stones. The body of the dragon creates the form of the entire circular pendant highlighting, again, the themes of Art Nouveau by focusing on nature as the principal source of inspiration to create shapes and art. A single ruby creates the dragon's eye and it is holding six diamonds within its vicious maw. The dragon's body and wings are resplendent with delicate enamel work. By contrast, Saint George himself is an imposing figure wrought from unadorned gold, as is his horse. The pendant measures 4.6 cm x 3.6 cm x 0.8 cm and was purchased in 1966 by the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (National Art Museum of Catalonia) for their permanent collection. The pendant features in the Modern Art exhibit, which was renovated in 2014.
precious stones Catalonia patron saint National Art Museum of Catalonia basse-taille Saint George plique-à-jour Modernisme Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya Exposition Universelle Art Nouveau