Visitors to the Episcopal Palace of Astorga will be able to buy the ‘authentic’ Gaudí bricks made by hand in the Jiménez alfar museum.
The ayu ntamiento of Santa Elena de Jamuz and the Palacio de Gaudí de Astorga have signed an agreement to make a limited edition of bricks of the Episcopal Palace using a copy of two original molds that are delivered to the Alfar museum of Jiménez. It is about making visible and publicizing the heritage of the brilliant Catalan architect, as well as offering the visitor the chance to take a piece of the Astorgano monument to his home, as explained by the director, Víctor Murias.
The Mayor of Santa Elena de Jamuz, Jorge Fernández, insisted that these bricks are not a replica, but that the master potter, Jaime Argüello, is going to make the same brick, with the same Jiménez clay, the same Arab oven, the same minium for the glaze and the same urces that were used more than 100 years ago. Two hundred unique pieces, 100 of each model, which will be numbered and carry the stamp of authenticity of the Palace and the Alfar Museum. The Gaudí Chair of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia has already analyzed these bricks to certify that they are identical to the original ones, according to Fernández.
The notary astorgana Antonia Torga has been present in that signature of the agreement that prohibits any reproduction of the molds delivered without permission. They will be sold both in the Palacio store and in the Alfar Museum and are expected to be ready for the third Gaudí World Congress to be held at the beginning of July. In the Palace there are 18 different brick molds and the idea is to be able to make the complete collection little by little.
Source: Cope Astorga 87.6 FM