A Lovely Chandelier for the Home of a Famous Mexican Singer

This beautiful chandelier was designed and crafted by Carlos Galvan, Mexico’s premier wrought iron artisan, for the home of one of Mexico’s most popular singers.

I wrote a little about Carlos Galvan in a previous Post (you can read it here Mexico’s Premier Wrought Iron Design Artist – Carlos Galvan) but when Arjan Los, of Los-Factory , sent me this picture of one of Carlos’ latest projects, I decided to write more about Carlos.

Who is Carlos Galvan?

Carlos Galvan Esquivias was born in Yahualica de Gonzalez Gallo on the 17th of June, 1972. From an early age, he showed a talent for writing poetry about nature. Nature enchanted him.

When he was young, he was fortunate to have the privilege of living in the mountains and observing the beautiful scenery around him.

When Carlos was a teenager, he moved to the city of Ameca and there he supported and participated in promoting cultural events for children and young people.

Carlos studied for his Bachelor’s of Industrial Design at the University of Guadalajara, and leaned towards painting and sculpture. He was Senior Fellow at the Institute of Industrial Design in Havana, Cuba, where he studied specialty production machinery and ceramics.

Later, he had his own workshop making handmade wrought iron furnishings, sculptures, garden designs – for hotels and private homes. He planned his designs in accordance with the environment and space allowance for each project.

Carlos Galvan used the techniques of the Middle Ages in his work. Like the premier wrought iron artisan and designer in the late 15th Century, Nicolo Grosso Caparra, Carlos heats his iron in a forge to make it plastic and then shapes it with a mallet and other instruments, all by hand, to get the design he desires.

He sometimes complements his designs with clay, glass, marble and other materials to create a well-balanced and unique piece of art.

The Rich Artistic Traditions of Mexico

Mexico has long been characterized as a country rich in artistic tradition – in shape, color, and materials used. Each category of art has provided a variety of styles, as different and diverse as the artists and materials involved.

Tlaquepaque, in the State of Jalisco, the area where Carlos works his magic, is the number one State for the variety of the arts created there. It’s production was, nevertheless, threatened and immediate measures needed to be implemented to conserve, preserve, rescue and foster the crafts of the region.

Circumstances demanded more jobs but, more importantly, better quality production to compete not only domestically, but also abroad, while keeping the honesty of the Mexican heritage inherent in the different media. Someone to lead this teaching was needed. That someone was Carlos Galvan.

Carlos had his own ideas about the traditional designs, respecting and building on his experience, but staying open to the idea of improving. His work involved a number of factors, such as the handling of various materials, the application of the ideas of the respective techniques, and the way he handled the designs for a romantic, nostalgic past with a new, clearer vision full of innovative ideas and hope.

He, and other craftsmen, have worked together to make the existence of these high-quality art designs possible.

Updated Wrought Iron Designs of Carlos Galvan is a post from: Wrought Iron Designs

The Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the wrought iron designs in Italy, France, and Germany showed the limitations of all true decorative art due to the difficulty of working wrought iron by hand.  This difficulty limited what could be done in the way of design and execution.

During the design phase of a project, the designer had to keep these limitations, such as a lack of machinery to help execute the piece, in mind.

The smithy was limited also by his skills.  The tell-tale marks of the smith’s work were inevitable.   However, this added to the charm of the pieces and made each one distinct.

Reproductions

High quality reproductions followed.  In fact, some of the following photographs are of reproductions and others are of original works.  It’s virtually impossible to tell the difference in the photographs.

The next-best thing to having the original wrought iron designs is to have excellent reproductions, made the old-fashioned way, instead of pieces mass-produced on machines.

Lanterns and Torch Holders

This article features lanterns and torch holders but, in reality, the lanterns could also be called torch holders as they were designed to hold combustible material which was held in place by the central spike.

The lanterns that decorate the Strozzi Palace in Florence are the finest examples of Italian antique wrought iron work still existing, and have frequently served as models for lanterns in recent times.  Similar lanterns were attached to the angles of the Riccardi Palace, the former residence of the Medici in Florence.

Lantern, Strozzi Palace in Florence

Nicolo Grosso Caparra - il Caparra

These “lumière miravigliosi” were believed to be the work of Nicolo Grosso Caparra, known as il Caparra, a celebrated artist of his time, who is believed to have executed many of the beautiful rings and cressets which still decorate the old palaces of Siena. His method was to afix a little iron barrel on the center spike, which contained the tow and pitch.  The torches were then attached to the other spikes.

Torch Holder, Siena

In some old engravings of night-time festivities by the Grand Dukes of Tuscany, the beauty of the light cast by this  type of  lantern is evident.

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Antique Italian Wrought Iron Designs is a post from: Wrought Iron Designs