Archive for category: General

Archaeologists are the scientists who reconstruct the history and customs of our ancestors as they recover the remains of the city of Baetulo, the objects they used and the art samples that have been kept underground for centuries. Archaeological excavations sometimes require the participation of scientists who are experts in other subjects such as geology, botany and biology. On the occasion of the 25th Science Week in Badalona, which takes place virtually from 14th to 29th November, the Museum proposes a simple introduction to forensic anthropology, the discipline that determines the age and sex of individuals from other eras.

You can listen to our participation from tomorrow Wednesday both on our website and on the Youtube channel of the Museum of Badalona (https://www.youtube.com/user/MuseuBadalona)
 
 

Alexandre Cardunets i Cazorla (Barcelona 1871 – Badalona 1944) was born on November 13th, 149 years ago, and to commemorate this, we comment on one of the works signed by him, preserved in the Museum’s collections.

Motorcycles and sidecars Patria

[1922-1936]

by Alexandre Cardunets i Cazorla (Barcelona 1871 – Badalona 1944)

A motorcyclist with a companion, sitting in the sidecar, is driving on the road in a mountainous area, where you can see trees and, located at the bottom of a valley, a village with a church and a castle. Perspective indicates that the road is uphill, and that the motorbike travels safely and without difficulty.

As can be deduced from what can be read at the top and bottom of the work, it is an advertising watercolor (to make a poster or perhaps an advertisement in the press) of the motorcycles and sidecars Pàtria, which they were manufactured in Badalona between 1922 and 1936, and which achieved a remarkable prestige.

The Museum preserves another version of this work, which is identical in terms of drawing, but without coloring (MB inv. 14542).

The author, Alexandre Cardunets, was a draftsman, engraver and painter. He studied at the Llotja and in different European countries. He was the founder of the Friends of Old Art and president of the Foment de les Arts Decoratives (1923) and of the Real Cercle Artístic de Barcelona (1927).

The Museum of Badalona preserves several paintings, drawings and engravings made by Cardunets, including the portrait of Francesc Macià, several landscapes and seven lithographs from the much-appreciated series that the artist dedicated to urban views of ancient Barcelona. .

The celebration of the day of the dead in Roman times, in some aspects reminds us of the origins of the feast of All Saints that we celebrate nowadays, the fruit of the Christian tradition, and which maintains some habits that were already practiced by our ancestors 2,000 years ago. However, the time of year they are celebrated is not the same.

The equivalent of the day of the dead for the Romans was the Parentalia, which was celebrated between 13th and 21st February. They had a funerary and expiatory character, they were days considered ominous, the temples were closed and marriages were not celebrated. Relatives visited the graves of their ancestors and left them wreaths of flowers, salt, bread soaked in wine and milk. In the same grave or in a nearby place, relatives used to share a meal with the deceased and asked them for prosperity for the family.

Roman mosaic depicting the month of February, which was intended for purification

Maintenance and visits to the tomb were frequent throughout the year, and at each visit or celebration flowers were worn that changed according to the season and were a symbol of renewal and happiness for the afterlife. Food (sometimes also slaughtered animals), drinks, honey and oil lamps, so that the deceased could light his way, were placed there . There were also libations in which wine, water or perfumes were sprinkled on the grave. The spraying of these liquids was believed to be an offering that facilitated communication between the living and the dead relative.

Roman mosaic of a skeleton with two jugs, found in Pompeii (Italy)

In Rome, the burial of the dead was a sacred duty. The spirits of the dead became part of the gods Manes, if they had had a proper funeral (iustum), so that their memory lasted among the living. A good funeral (funus) meant that the deceased was said goodbye at home by his family and friends (conclamatio), there were lamentations and cries – often by women -, a funeral procession, the burial – either in an urn by cremation or a burial in a tomb or funeral space-, the epitaph and the frequent visit of relatives.

To deny the burial of a dead person was to condemn his soul to travel relentlessly, turning it into an evil spirit that would torment the living until its burial was resolved and the soul could rest in peace. On May 9th, 11th and 13th were the Lemuria, when the head of the household (pater familias) performed a series of rituals in order to expel these evil spirits from the home.

In the Museum of Badalona we preserve several remains related to the necropolises (cemeteries) of the Roman city of Baetulo, where burial tombs have been excavated – in which the dead were deposited in boxes made of tiles or wood–, and we have also found witnesses of incineration – where the remains of the dead were placed in ballot boxes. Accompanying the dead, we often find the ointments with which they had anointed the deceased, lacrimatoria with the tears of loved ones, lamps to illuminate the dead in his journey, coins to pay the boatman Charon, and plates and glasses to drink and eat. Above the tombs, the Romans placed tombstones, usually made of marble, with the name of the deceased, usually dedicated to the gods Manes. Many of these pieces can be seen in the permanent exhibition on the Roman world.

SIT TIBI TERRA LEVIS, is the text we read on many of these tombstones, a request in Latin that we translate as “let the earth be light to you.” This is a wish that, on days like these, we want to extend to all those who have preceded us and who we now have in mind.

Ceramic funerary urns preserved in the Museum of Badalona. The uniqueness of these pieces lies in their material, as the urns were usually made of glass, marble or lead

A few days ago, the Museum opened an exhibition about Evarist Arnús i Ferrer (Barcelona 1820-1890), on the occasion of the bicentenary of his birth.

In occasion of this event, we present a gallery of photographs whose main protagonist is the estate and the park of Ca l’Arnús at various times. You can also see images of Can Solei, which at first formed a single property with Ca l’Arnús. Photographs allow you to discover unknown aspects and observe the changes that have taken place in this estate.

View gallery

The information was published on October 8 in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya.

Last Thursday, October 8th, “Museums 2030. Plan of Museums of Catalonia” was published in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya. This plan includes a study of the museums that currently exist in Catalonia, which are classified into different groups: large, medium-large, medium-small, small and at the limit of sustainability museums.

It should be noted that the Museum of Badalona appears in the group of large museums and is, within this category, one of the few that is not located in the city of Barcelona (the others are the National Archaeological Museum of Tarragona, the Science and Technique Museum of Terrassa and the Dalí Museum in Figueres). As for the museums of this group located in Barcelona, the relation includes: the Music Museum, the Frederic Marès Museum, the Antoni Tàpies Foundation, the Design Museum, the Joan Miró Foundation, the Picasso Museum, the Natural Sciences Museum , the Museum of History of the City of Barcelona, the Maritime Museum, the National Museum of Art of Catalonia, the Museum of Archeology of Catalonia, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Museum of History of Catalonia.

The criteria used to make the classification include concepts such as budget, human resources, annual number of visitors, functional covered area, and average of objects preserved.

It is therefore a very good news that we celebrate and that encourages us to continue working to stay in that position.