B. ESQUIUS | TRIBUTE TO D. FERNANDO HURTADO SANCHIS (MANRESA, 1944) | ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT

B. ESQUIUS | TRIBUTE TO D. FERNANDO HURTADO SANCHIS (MANRESA, 1944) | ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT

The eternal gratitude of an academic generation, immortalized through the noble art of illumination. A unique and unrepeatable historical document that merges calligraphic virtuosity with the institutional memory of post-war Catalonia.

HISTORY AND CURATORIAL ANALYSIS

The Rebirth of the Illuminated Manuscript

In 1944, in the city of Manresa, this exceptional piece was forged: a testament of affection and gratitude that transcends the purely textual to become a gem of graphic bibliophilia. This tribute sheet, dedicated to D. Fernando Hurtado Sanchis (Professor of Artistic Drawing at the School of Arts and Crafts), is a masterclass in calligraphy and illumination by Esquius.

Esquius' technique demonstrates a direct erudition inherited from ancient medieval and Renaissance illuminators. The artist structures the document by centralizing the majestic calligraphy—executed in two inks, black and red, to hierarchize the text—flanked by an exquisite and vibrant symmetrical floral border.

The Alchemy of Gold and Collective Memory

Technically, the work is dazzling due to the manual application of opaque pigments (gouache or dense watercolor) in cerulean, crimson, and green tones, masterfully enhanced with touches of metallic pigment or gold leaf that provide a dazzling sumptuousness to the leaves and corollas. As an institutional flourish, a small heraldic shield seals the composition in the lower margin.

However, the soul of this document resides in its lower half: an intricate mosaic of original handwritten signatures in ink. Each signature is the vital trace of a student who attended those lectures on Art History, turning the paper into a time capsule and an intellectual census of Manresa in 1944.

WHY THIS PIECE IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUR COLLECTION?

• Unicum Category (Unique Document): As a specific commemorative sheet hand-signed by its donors, there are no copies, sketches, or editions. It is an unrepeatable archival piece with absolute historical value.

• Institutional and Local Interest: Its direct and explicit link with the School of Arts and Crafts of Manresa makes it a top-level object for collectors of local history, foundations, municipal archives, or historians of Catalan art.

• Graphic Virtuosity: Beyond its documentary value, B. Esquius' illumination work, with its precise mastery of gold leaf and color, elevates the sheet to the category of Fine Arts, connecting with the tradition of great diplomas and letters patent of nobility.

TECHNICAL DATA SHEET

• Author: B. Esquius (Illuminator / Calligrapher).

• Title / Theme: Tribute Sheet to D. Fernando Hurtado Sanchis / Students of the School of Arts and Crafts of Manresa.

• Year of Creation: 1944.

• Technique and Support: Original illuminated manuscript. Ink, gouache/watercolor, and metallic pigments (golds) on heavy paper or vellum.

• Documented Dimensions: Approx. 26 x 18 cm (Vertical format).

• Signature and Inscriptions: Signed by the illuminator "B. Esquius" in the lower right corner. Calligraphed text and multiple original handwritten signatures of the students.

• Style / Movement: Classical calligraphy / Commemorative illumination.

• Provenance: Private collection / Antiquarian market.

• Condition: Excellent historical archival quality.

THE WORKSHOP'S NOTE

In the era of mechanical reproduction, finding a document where gratitude has been chiseled letter by letter, by hand and with gold, is moving. This piece is not merely a piece of paper; it is the crystallization of academic respect. A purchase of profound historical erudition, ideal for gracing the library or study of a collector who values the noble and ancient art of drawn letters.

Collector's Dossier Included: This artwork comes with a research study of the work, prepared and printed by El Taller del Coleccionista, certifying our research and known provenance.