• Workshop of festival giants and big-head figures: two crowned giants beside a sewing machine, ink drawing.
  • Detail of the crowned giants beneath the ceiling of the giants and big-heads workshop.
  • Central detail of the giants’ costumes and the passage with shelves in the background.
  • Detail of the sewing machine, dress form and floor of the workshop illustrated in ink.
  • Lower detail with a treadle sewing machine, stool and big-head figures on the right.
  • Upper detail of the workshop with the giants’ crowned faces and ceiling beams.
  • Full view of Giants and Big-Heads Workshop, an ink illustration on unframed paper.
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Giants and big-heads workshop — Illustration of a historic Barcelona shop — 20th century — Ink on paper

Giants and big-heads workshop — Illustration of a historic Barcelona shop — 20th century — Ink on paper

€85,00 EUR
€85,00 EUR
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Figurative illustration depicting the interior of an old establishment dedicated to the creation of giants, big-heads, and elements of Catalan festive imagery.

Two large crowned figures, a king and a queen dressed in medieval-inspired attire, preside over the composition. Their elaborate costumes are described through meticulous line work and cross-hatching, which reproduces embroidery, ornamental motifs, and details of the crowns.

In the foreground, an old treadle sewing machine stands out, accompanied by sewing utensils, while a mannequin and several imagery heads appear on the right. The space extends towards the back through a succession of shelves, display cases, and drawers.

The wealth of detail and the construction of the perspective allow the scene to be interpreted as a documentary representation of an old workshop or folk craft shop.

The image bears a notable thematic relationship with El Ingenio, a historic establishment in Barcelona's Gothic Quarter specializing in giants, big-heads, masks, and festive items.

The shop was depicted in 1977 by the artist Aurora Altisent, whose illustration subsequently appeared in Botigues de Barcelona (Lumen, 1979). The correspondence of the present image with that work remains to be verified.

Technical Data Sheet

  • Authorship: No visible signature. Pending identification.

  • Descriptive title: Giants and big-heads workshop.

  • Period: 20th century, provisional dating.

  • Technique: Black ink. Manual originality pending confirmation.

  • Support: Paper.

  • Dimensions: 25.5 × 19 cm.

  • Signature: Not located.

  • Conservation status: Good general appearance, with clear paper and no tears or significant losses visible in the photographs.

Workshop Note

An illustration of singular iconographic interest for its representation of the artisanal universe of Catalan giants and big-heads. The contrast between the large ceremonial figures and the tools of the trade evokes a popular tradition in which sculpture, tailoring, theater, and collective celebration converge.

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