Portrait of Narcís Monturiol

Narcís Monturiol, Ramón Martí Alsina, c. 1863

Llegir més

Num. inventory: 2070

Object name: painting

Title: Narcís Monturiol

Object date: c. 1863

Author: Ramon Martí Alsina

Technique and material: oil on canvas

Underwater navigation

Oil on canvas portrait of Narcís Monturiol in 1863 by Ramón Martí Alsina.

Narcís Monturiol i Estarriol (Figueres 1819-Sant Martí de Provençals 1885). Studied in Cervera and Barcelona, where he obtained a law degree. Exiled to the town of Cadaqués because of his political activity, he made a living as a painter following the recommendation of his friend Ramón Martí Alsina. Monturiol made several oil paintings based on the advice Alsina sent him by mail.

In Cadaqués, Monturiol also worked on a project involving the construction of an underwater vessel. With the collaboration of Josep Missé (a shipbuilder), Joan Monjo (technical director of the construction and author of the general blueprints) and Damas Calvet (engineer), the construction of the first prototype, the Ictíneo I or Vaixell-Peix, began in 1858 at Talleres Nuevo Volcano in La Barceloneta. In 1864, Monturiol founded the society La Navegación Submarina and built the steam-powered Ictíneo II, but the company, too far ahead of its time, failed.