Visitors to the Episcopal Palace of Astorga will be able to buy the ‘authentic’ Gaudí bricks handcrafted in the Jiménez pottery museum.
The city councilof Santa Elena de Jamuz and the Gaudí Palace of 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 de Jiménez museum. The aim is to make visible and make known the heritage of the brilliant Catalan architect, in addition to offering the visitor the possibility of taking a little piece of the monument of Astorga as a souvenir to his home, as explained by the director, Victor Murias.
The mayor of Santa Elena de Jamuz, Jorge Fernandez, has insisted that these bricks are not a replica, but the master potter, Jaime Argüello, will make the same brick, with the same clay Jimenez, the same Arab oven, the same minium for glazing 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 bear the seal 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 originals, according to Fernández.
The astorgana notary Antonia Torga has been present at the signing of the agreement that prohibits any reproduction of the molds delivered without permission. They will be sold both in the Palace store and in the Alfar Museum and are expected to be ready for the third Gaudí World Congress to be held in early July. In the Palace there are 18 different brick molds and the idea is to be able to gradually make the complete collection.
Source: Cope Astorga 87.6 FM