VICTORIANO CODINA Y LANGLIN
Spanish 1844-1911

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Victoriano Cordina Y Langlin was a sculptor, painter, decorator and tapestry designer. He was born in Barcelona in February of 1844. When he was young he studied drawing in classes taught by Antoni Ferran i Satayol (Spanish 1786 - 1857 ). These studies prepared him for admission into the School of Fine Arts (Escuela de Bellas Artes) in Barcelona, where he continued his studies in sculpture under the tutorship of his cousin the sculptor Juan Samso (Spanish 1834 – 1908). In 1864, at the age of twenty, Langlin recieved an award from the Diputación Provincial of Barcelona to study in Rome. Rome He joined the Academy in Rome and studied and worked there for the next two years, primarily as a sculptor. Upon returning to Spain he set up his studio in Baracelona and exhibited four works at the Exposicion de Bellas Artes (Exposition of Fine Art) in 1866.

Eager to transition from sculpture to painting, in 1868 Langlin moved to Paris and this move provided him with the break he needed. He continued to exhibit at the Barcelona Fine Art exhibition in both 1868 and 1873 and elsewhere in Spain. His first major triumph was a figural group “Hagar and Ismael”, which exhibited at the Madrid Exhibition of 1871 and acquired by the government, now included in the collection of the National Museum. He also regularly exhibited at the Salon of French Artists. It was during the siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian war that he began to focus his efforts on painting.

In 1877 he moved to London after receiving an invitation by an English client to decorate his rooms in Marlborough Gate Palace, Westminster. His success led him to open a drawing academy, with many of the clients being architects of the period. The academy became so successful that he became overwhelmed and was forced to close. However the connections he forged while running his drawing academy served him well as many of the architects he taught would turn to him to commission important works for public buildings.

Langlin was highly sought after during his years in England. He was employed to paint and design tapestries for the Royal Tapestry factory of Winsor. He also received many commissions to produce works for both the Continental and Metropol Hotels, numerous churches, several theaters and the London Pavilion. He also produced commissions for Leopold Rothschild and Lady Somerset palaces. In Spain he produced the mural for the dome of the Basilica de la Merced in Barcelona. His works, exhibited at the Royal Academy of London, Liverpool, Brighton, Denbigh, the Universal Exhibition in Barcelona in 1888 and other capitals, were always the object of the highest praise from the public and from critics. He died in London in 1911 at the age of 67.