Lladró | 'Declaration of Love' | No. 6597 | Marco Antonio Noguerón | Porcelain Couple | Spain | 1999–2009
A bouquet held out, and a hand raised towards his face before a word is said.
Lladró was founded in 1953 by the brothers Juan, José and Vicente Lladró in Almàssera, near Valencia, and its hand-finished porcelain figures became some of the best known in the world. 'Declaration of Love', model 6597, was sculpted by Marco Antonio Noguerón. The base carries a 1998 design copyright, and the model was produced from 1999 until it was retired in 2009.
A young couple stand together on an oval base. He wears a light grey jacket over darker grey trousers, with a white shirt and a pale blue tie, and holds out a small bouquet of delicately modelled applied flowers in pale pink, cream, lilac and yellow, with warm-coloured centres and green leaves. She has a short bobbed auburn hairstyle and wears a long strapless gown, pale with subtle lilac decoration to the bodice and hem. One of her hands is raised towards his face, and the other touches the bouquet, while his free hand rests at her back. The base is pale turquoise, with a pattern of small diamond tiles and a moulded leaf border. The figure is fully glazed. The underside carries the Lladró factory mark, the model number and the 1998 design copyright.
The figure is in excellent condition, with no chips, cracks, repairs or losses noted on inspection. The delicate applied flowers and fingers are intact. The original presentation box is not included.
Key Details
- Maker: Lladró, Spain
- Model: 'Declaration of Love', no. 6597
- Sculptor: Marco Antonio Noguerón
- Material: fully glazed porcelain, with applied flowers
- Marks: blue Lladró mark, "37 GZV", "HAND MADE IN SPAIN", "© DAISA 1998"; impressed "6597", "H-5 M", "3" in a diamond; incised marks
- Date: produced 1999–2009; design copyright 1998
- Dimensions: height 35 cm
- Weight: 1,473 g
- Condition: excellent; no chips, cracks, repairs or losses; original box not included
- Buyer profile: Lladró collectors, and anyone looking for a wedding, engagement or anniversary gift
Collector Appeal
At 35 cm high, 'Declaration of Love' has a presence beyond that of a small cabinet figure. Its gently observed gestures, restrained colouring and finely applied bouquet are typical of Lladró's romantic porcelain subjects. Retired in 2009, the model is a substantial example of the firm's late twentieth- and early twenty-first-century production.
He brought flowers; she had already decided.
