This ceramic piece, made for the entrance hall of the former home of businessman Tomás Allende and dating from 1900, is made up of four scenes with landscapes depicting mining, industry and the sea.

The “Decorative mural for the hall of Tomás Allende’s former residence in Bilbao” is a new piece from the Itsasmuseum’s collection which dates from 1900 and was made during the most important stage of the artist Daniel de Zuloaga’s career. It is now part of our permanent exhibition, thanks to the exhaustive research work carried out by Maite Paliza, an expert on Daniel de Zuloaga, and the generous donation of Goizane Bengoechea and Jon Corell, its former owners.

It is one of the most relevant works by the ceramist Daniel de Zuloaga (Madrid, 1852 – Segovia, 1921), whose ornamentation decorates several representative buildings in Euskadi, including the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa and the old Donostia Casino, or the Velázquez Palace and the Crystal Palace in Madrid. Uncle of the painter Ignacio Zuloaga, with whom he had a close relationship and shared a passion for culture and art, both artists belonging to the circle of intellectuals of the time and having friends and interests in common, Daniel de Zuloaga was a renowned ceramist of the time.

The original work, produced for the entrance hall of the businessman Tomás Allende, was 54 metres long and made up of 25 sections and eight scenes, although only 20 metres and four scenes survive. It was framed by borders of plant motifs and decorative columns of mermaids, grasses and flowers, and the corresponding skirtingboards, and we can see it today thanks to the fact that Daniel Errazu, owner of the house when it was demolished in the 1960s, decided to dismantle the mural. He had it carefully packed then placed in a new house that was being built in Lezama under the auspices of the architect Rufino Basañez (1929-1991).

The technique used in the mural, according to the historian Maite Paliza, was edged ceramics and painting on a tin covering. And as for the theme, the composition realistically represents landscapes linked to industry and mining which were the main areas of Tomas Allende’s business activity.