Artistic and archaeological heritage of the Abbey of Montserrat
Monday, 5 October de 2026
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Ex-libris by Alexandre de Riquer

Alexandre de Riquer i Inglada (Calaf, 1856 – Palma de Mallorca, 1920) is a fine representative of the Symbolist Modernisme that emerged strongly in Catalonia at the end of the 19th century. He trained at the Llotja School in Barcelona, completing his studies with stays in Rome, Paris, and London. It was precisely in England where he came under the influence of Japonism, the Pre-Raphaelites, and the Arts and Crafts movement. During this trip to London in 1900, he also discovered ex-libris design, which was then in vogue across Europe. Upon returning to Catalonia, he published several articles defending the artistic interest of bookplates and the need to revive the etching technique. Riquer played a significant role in introducing ex-libris design to the region, not only as one of the first artists to promote this discipline, but also as a innovator of the genre and a master to some of the great bookplate creators and etchers of subsequent generations: Triadó, Renart, Galí, Diéguez, and Sert.

Indeed, in 1903 he published the book Ex-libris Riquer, which compiled his main creations in this genre. Most of his bookplates are characterized by a poetic idealism typical of his works from the 1890s onward. He usually worked with flat inks and clean line drawings—except when working in etching—and used a stylized canon. Among his most relevant publications, apart from his collaborations as an illustrator in newspapers and magazines, worth noting is his involvement in several volumes of the Biblioteca Arte y Letras, as well as works written and designed by himself: Quan jo era noi (1897), Crisantemes (1898), and Anyoranses (1902).

Following the criteria proposed by Eliseu Trenc, Alexandre de Riquer's bookplates can be classified into five types: the first consists of those featuring an allegorical female figure in the foreground against a background of trees and a river, good examples of which are those of Rafel Patxot and Joan Llongueras. The second type includes bookplates like those of Manuel de Montoliu and Eudald Thomas. They are circular or oval, usually with a figurative element in the center surrounded by floral motifs. The third type, represented by the bookplates of Emili Cabot and Raimon Casellas, is rectangular in format, devoid of decorative framing, and features female figures or faces. The fourth group, with examples such as the bookplates of Rita Benapres or Miquel Utrillo, is characterized by the opposite approach: they are sober, with few floral elements, and printed in two or three inks. Finally, we find the bookplates usually produced as etchings and larger in size than usual. These typically feature a central oval medallion containing an allegory surrounded by nymphs, representing the last ex-libris created by Alexandre de Riquer.

Bernat Puigdollers
Museum of Montserrat