Juan Huerta Lladró Eskimo Stoneware Sculpture 1990s

Earthenware Eskimo sculpture, made by Juan Huerta for Lladró in the 1990s

Ø cm 20 Ø cm 14 h cm 26

Juan Huerta was one of the historic pillars and most prolific sculptors of the renowned Lladró manufactory, the Valencia-based company famous worldwide for its porcelain figurines in pastel hues and elongated forms. Having joined the Lladró “family” in the 1960s, Huerta made a decisive contribution to defining what we now know as the Lladró style: a blend of gentle realism, classical elegance, and a certain sentimental streak.

He was active mainly from the 1960s through the early 2000s. Huerta was a master at capturing the delicacy of gestures. His works range from children’s figures to religious themes and animals, always with meticulous attention to detail, such as the famous handmade porcelain flowers crafted petal by petal.

Lladró is not merely a brand, but the worldwide symbol of Spanish artistic porcelain. Founded in 1953 in Almàssera (Valencia) by brothers Juan, José, and Vicente Lladró, the company transformed a small artisan workshop into a luxury empire present in more than 120 countries.

Unlike traditional porcelain, which requires several firings, Lladró perfected high-temperature single firing. This technique produces the celebrated soft hues—powder blue, pearl gray, and flesh pink—that seem to emanate light from within.