Birth of Jesus and the Adoration of the Shepherds
In 1778 Carlos III of Spain issued the decree by which the ban was lifted on Catalonia's trading with the Americas. This marked a turning point in the life of the Catalan bourgeoisie, whose power rose considerably in the last quarter of the eighteenth century. Part of the profits they made from industry and commerce was invested in the construction and decoration of their own houses. The main salon of one of these homes, most probably built on the outskirts of Barcelona, was decorated with Pla's series of paintings devoted to the life of the Virgin. Of the complete series of seventeen canvases, twelve are preserved at the Museum. In 1987 Santiago Alcolea Gil made the paintings known, the indisputable work of Francesc Pla, otherwise known as ‘el Vigatà’, one of the artists most in demand when it came to painting the interiors of Catalan bourgeois mansions. His style broke away from the academic canons of the period, his flowing, quick, vigorous brushstrokes having affinities with the Rococo.
Circa 1780
167.5 x 105 cm
Donated by Girbau SA to the Generalitat de Catalunya; permanent loan to the MNAC, 1997
202172-000