LLADRO - He, The Horse Collector

Dubai, UAE, April 4, 2016

Free spirit

Elegance, balance, speed, strength, temperament... Lladró artists have captured the spirit of the horse in a great number of pieces

A summary glance at Lladró's catalogue is enough to reveal that horses are so intimately bound to the brand's work. Its artists have modeled this beautiful creature in all shapes and forms: galloping, leaping, trotting, posing majestically or simply at rest. 

From the naturalness of wild steeds to highly groomed and harnessed thoroughbreds, Lladró's horses are a tribute to creatures which are as free as creativity and as noble as porcelain. 

JUAN LLADRÓ: “Our horses show Lladró's sculptural and decorative ability'

According to Juan Lladró, one of the three founding brothers of the company, “the horse has qualities that one could say are perfect for porcelain. Its beauty, elegance, movements, balance, anatomy and lively expression are the same qualities that underpin Lladró's work and that are materialized in their entire splendor in creations we have dedicated to this wonderful creature.”

Decoratively speaking, Lladró has deployed its full potential creating simple unadorned horses or steeds with intricate harnesses and saddles which are jewels in themselves. That is why we can find horses ranging from white matte porcelains like the Gallop group or Unbreakable spirit to pieces painted with sophisticated enamels, such as Oriental horse, not forgetting Lladró's more functional aspect in lamps, bottle stoppers and bookends. 

As Juan Lladró sustains, “similarly to our overall body of work, Lladró absorbs influences from different cultures, from their customs and iconography, and transfers their particularities to porcelain, in this case of different breeds and kinds of horse.”

Lladró's team of sculptors includes a fanatical horse lover, Ernest Massuet, the artist behind the Arabian pure breed. Well versed in the anatomy and all other aspects related with horses, Massuet, reaches surprising levels of realism in the execution of pieces with incalculable artistic merit. After all, one can only capture these creatures with such truthfulness from a deeply-felt passion for porcelain and for horses. 

Lladró, the luxury of the handcrafted

Lladró is one of the most universally recognized Spanish brands, most widely associated with culture and luxury. Established in 1953 by the three brothers Juan, José and Vicente Lladró, Lladró is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacturing of artistic porcelain. The brand is distributed in more than 120 countries, with its main markets in the US, Japan, China and India. 

After sixty years, all Lladró pieces are handmade in the brand's workshops in The City of Porcelain, following an entirely artisan process. In this way, a large team of expert craftsmen and artists contributes to the creation of each Lladró sculpture, making each piece an exclusive work with a particular sense of style and conveying a unique language. That's why the Lladró brand stands for tradition, art and prestige, meaning quality, handcrafting and excellence in porcelain.

The successful balance between classic porcelain and new design trends

The work by Lladró has always been an expression of universal values, intimately connected with real people and their feelings, celebrating the best moments of life. Inspired by dreams and fantasy, traditions, literature and art, nature or everyday life, there is always a story behind each piece.  

This creative belief in universal messages and shared emotions has evolved naturally and been instrumental in creating even closer bonds with its customers, in a mutually rewarding experience. In fact, one of the brand's core values is its ability to address the traditions and spirituality of the most different cultures with special sensibility. And this has been a constant in Lladró every since its first set out. Each sculpture is conceived from a profound admiration for traditions that pose a truly gratifying challenge for its artists.

After several decades as an undisputed leader in art porcelain with its own unmistakable style, Lladró began to search for new expressive paths in harmony with the sensibility of men and women of our times. Many young artists at the workshops of The City of Porcelain are creating collections which, while remaining true to the spirit of the brand, completely renew the thematic and stylistic repertoire of Lladró's work, adding a wealth of new forms, colors and textures.

New collections and new classics open up infinite possibilities for the decoration of all kinds of contemporary spaces, exploring new ways of expressing eternal and universal sentiments with the perfection, delicacy and mastery. As a result of its ongoing search for new artistic paths, Lladró has earned a name for itself worldwide as a trendsetter in porcelain design.

Lladró keeps collaborating with internationally recognized designers to breathe new life into existing products and create new contemporary designs while maintaining the original values and DNA of the brand. Moreover, Lladró has expanded the art of porcelain with its own developments, with new techniques and processes which have revolutionized the world of ceramics.

Now, Lladró's extraordinary collection includes classical figurines, functional objects like the new lighting pieces, amazing sculptures in High Porcelain and unexpected series of contemporary author designs. This great range of creations and styles has kept the brand at the forefront of market tastes, reinforced by Lladró's collaboration with leading external designers who add their own personal touch to the Lladró universe.

In the region, Lladro can be found in: