Some of the nicest buildings in Palma de Mallorca, architectonically speaking, date from the Modernismo period, a time and an architectural style that coincided with Art Nouveau and Art Deco. Three of those buildings are shown here; they have in common some quite prominent features of decoration made in ceramics. These ceramics were all made by the Fábrica La Roqueta, a ceramic factory and workshop that operated from 1897 to 1918.
The Can Barceló building in Plaça Quadrado is a very beautiful building. It was originally the family home of an industrial textile manufacturer (photo top).
The Forteza Rey building in Plaça Marques de Palmer, near Plaça Major, is probably Palma’s most photographed building. It was originally the family home of a silversmith who had met with Antoni Gaudí when he worked in Palma’s cathedral (photo centre).
The Grand Hotel building in Plaça Weyler was built in 1901-03 as Palma’s first upmarket hotel. It has to be one of the most beautiful buildings in all of Mallorca (photo above).
Domestic ceramics from La Roqueta were also made but are nowadays rarely seen for its scarcity. You can see some samples at the Museu de Mallorca (currently closed for extensive renovations), and some of them are quite a sight to behold.
The three photos on top were taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: May 28, 2010. The time was 12:55:58, 13:11:51 and 13:18:51, respectively. The photo (bottom) was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of fabian.balearweb.net and Alta mar.
Muchas gracias.
