PEDRO DE ICAZA Y AGUIRRE HALL

Nemesio
Mogrobejo (Bilbao, 1875-Graz, Austria, 1910)

The Death of Orpheus, 1904-1906

Bronze. 209 x 395 x 61 cm
Contributed by the Provincial Council of Bizkaia in 1921

The Death of Orpheus is the central part of a large triptych based on Ovid’s The Metamorphoses, whose two side reliefs were never made and are only known through a sketch. Here, Mogrobejo captures the moment when the Maenads, sent because Orpheus had refused to worship Dionysus, descend upon him to kill him, possessed by a bacchic frenzy. The young Orpheus, who is mortally wounded, is trying to sit up. On the right, one bacchante is holding a thyrsus in her hands, while on the left, another is grabbing his crown of myrtle and cypress, and a third one is crouching down to get his lyre.

Mogrobejo began to work on this piece in Florence in the autumn of 1904, which was supposed to be the last one he sent in as a pension recipient. He apparently spent more than one year on the figure or Orpheus (from November 1904 to December 1905). Made in high-relief, it was soon considered one of his best pieces. It was rendered in bronze in late 1920 by Madrid’s Fundidores Calahorra in an operation overseen by the sculptor Valentín Dueñas. The work was deposited in the Museum in February 1921 [Miriam Alzuri]

Treatment

In recent years, this bronze relief has been the subject of in-depth studies due to the development of corrosion at certain specific points on the surface. The treatment began in 2023 in conjunction with the specialised team from Ártyco, whose facilities are located in Vitoria-Gasteiz. The treatment consisted of an aqueous cleaning of the surface layer and localised mechanical elimination of the substances caused by the corrosion. Finally, the colours were adjusted in the areas of minor wear and tear and areas where it was missing.

FIRST FLOOR HALL

José
Arrue(Bilbao, 1985-Llodio, Álava, 1977)

Produced by Rigalt, Granell y Cía
(Barcelona, 1903-1923)

¡Ené… que sasqueles…!, c. 1918

Glass and lead. 190 x 181,5 cm
Donated by the Asociación Zenbat Gara and the Euskaltegi Gabriel Aresti in 2023

Arrue set this scene on a Basque beach, possibly in Lekeitio, Zarautz or San Sebastián. One of the unique hallmarks of his style is the humour of the composition, which stems from the culture shock between the village woman accompanied by the girl, whom she is protecting in her skirts, and the behaviour of the bathers. At the base of the image, the expression ‘iEné… que sasqueles…!’ may be interpreted as ‘Ené… what shameless people…!’. The theme is complemented with the rich iconography arranged on the perimeter of the stained glass and the side panels, where Arrue depicts fish, starfish and sea horses, cephalopods, tortoises and other sea creatures. The two mermaids on the lower panel flanking a shell with pearls are also noteworthy. The symbolism of the stained-glass window can be related to the concept of a modern Eve. The influence of Japanese prints on both the motifs and the compartmentalisation of the colours and the planes depicting depth is worth noting. The painstaking arrangement of the animals and their harmonious fit within the lead structure which beautifully edges the glass panes make this piece an outstanding example of Basque stained-glass art.[Javier Novo]

Treatment

The stained-glass window joined the museum after a restoration performed in 2017. It was divided into four parts, although the lower panel was detached from the original frame. The entire surface, front and back, had a dense layer of substances caused by air pollution. The treatment at the museum consisted of cleaning these substances, mounting the entire piece and installing it on a secondary support to be exhibited. The restoration of the lower part of the two side pieces was performed by Vitrales Mikel Delika in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

ROOM 16

Francisco
Durrio(Valladolid, 1868-Paris, 1940)

Grille for the pantheon of the Echevarrieta family in the cemetery of Getxo, 1930-1931

Wrought iron. 190 x 110 cm
Donated by the Echevarrieta Gangoiti family in 2015

The earliest information we have on this grille dates from 1931, and its design features geometric decorative details common in Art Deco. The piece is essentially divided into two sections: the upper three-fourths is like a spiderweb on which different butterflies, in groups or alone, are collected or trapped; the lower part shows a star around which smaller stars are orbiting. All of them are schematically rendered, and the organisation of the whole is strictly symmetrical. The spiderweb may also be interpreted as a large ogival structure or mystical eye whose centre is not occupied by the creature that spun it but by a blazing hybrid being or supreme larva. The only spiders in the composition, tiny ones, are located on the upper edge. Both the creatures (spiders, larvae, butterflies) and the references to the cosmos (sun and planets) allude to the cyclical nature of life and the regeneration and transformation of beings into living entities of another kind as a way to overcome death. [Javier González de Durana]

Treatment

Crafted of wrought iron and covered by many layers of paint that were not original and had been applied over the years, the piece’s main conservation problem was the corrosion of the metal, which had led to major losses and had weakened the overall structure. The treatment consisted first of mechanically eliminating the paint layers and corrosion, and then chemically treating the metal to curb the oxidation. Finally, a new secondary structure was designed to replicate the original installation.