This paper presents one of the most unusual techniques
identified in the study of Catalan Modernista
architecture: the cladding of walls and ceilings
with papier-mâché tiles produced by the Hermenegild
Miralles firm. These tiles are similar in appearance
to Valencian ceramic tiles, from which
they took their designs and surface finishes. The
company’s catalogue included a full range of finishes
based on contemporary experiments with
glazed and enamelled ceramics, such as golden
hues, reliefs and incisions.
The product catalogue claimed that the papier-mâché
tiles were patented, so the technique was closely
linked to the firm that marketed it. As far as
we know, the tiles were on the market for a rather
short time: the catalogue which we have discovered
dates from 1894 and the latest examples of the
tiles’ use are from 1905. We have found them in
works by Antoni Gaudí and Josep Puig i Cadafalch,
among others.
Because of the importance of the buildings in which
these tiles were used and the architects who designed
them, we consider that this was not a one-off
invention but rather one that, for a certain period
of time, offered rich formal possibilities and was
simple to install. The new product met a demand
for sensory expression and attractive cladding materials.
It was inexpensive, lightweight and easily
mouldable, so it allowed daring and highly expressive
solutions that were affordable for more people
