An Art Nouveau enamelled gold brooch by Masriera y Carrera

An Art Nouveau enamelled gold brooch by Masriera y Carrera, c.1920, depicting a woman in profile surrounded by foliage, her dress with blue enamel and the leaves with green plique-a-jour enamel, signed, 4cm wide

Carreras was one of the oldest family jewellers in Spain, founded in Barcelona circa 1785. At the same time another of Spain's historic and famous jewellery families, Masriera, was also creating jewellery in the style of 'Modernisme', the Art Nouveau style for which Barcelona was the artistic centre. In 1915 the companies merged, a move that was believed would be of great mutual benefit. The newly formed company was called Masriera Hermanos y JoaquÍn Carreras. In 1920 they were awarded a prize at the Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes in Madrid and also given an honourable mention at the Salon de la Société des Artistes Français in Paris, by which time they had shortened their name to Masriera y Carreras.