Lladro Figurines and History

After years of working to develop kilns capable of firing their porcelain art works, Lladro was founded in 1953 by three Spanish brothers, Jose, Juan and Vicente Lladro. Their first retail store opened in Valencia, Spain, in 1955, followed by the opening of their first factory in Tavernes Blanques in 1958. From these humble beginnings, Lladro has grown to be an internationally recognized porcelain company with retail stores all around the world.

Their factory at Tavernes Blanques, Spain, has grown into a complex known as "The Porcelain City" where the brothers established art workshops to train future Lladro artists and pass on their knowledge of producing incredible works of art. The Professional Training School, began in 1962, is still in operation today.

(Photo is of Lladro's "Shepherdess with Dog", issued 1970, retired 1990)

Lladro Elegant Foxtrot

Some early Lladro pieces had no mark at all. Later pieces from the 1960s had an impressed mark.

Lladro first began using its famous blue flower mark about 1970. According to Peggy Whiteneck, author of "Collecting Lladro Identification and Price Guide," the flower mark "...is a stylized amalgam of the Spanish bellflower and an ancient alchemical symbol and is meant to represent the marriage of art and science in the creation of Lladro porcelain."

The first issue of the stamp left off the accent on the O, so a corrected version was issued about 1974. Prior marks used from the 1960 to 1970 were impressed marks that stated "Lladro Espana" or "Lladro Made in Spain."

About 1977, a third version of the blue flower mark was issued which included the copyright symbol and DAISA, which is an acronym for the company which holds the Lladro intellectual property and design rights.

In 1984, the copyright date was added, as well as the 4 digit model number.

In 1990, the typeface was revised and the LFH number unique to each piece was added as part of Lladro's Assurance Program.

There are a few other additions to the Lladro mark that a collector might see on the base of a piece. These include circular marks indicating if the piece was a Collector's Society piece or an event figurine. An incised 3 inside a diamond has also been somewhere on the base of pieces issued since 1990.

Lladro Porcelain Figurine Passionate Tango Limited Edition

Lladro Sweet Caress

Animal and bird lovers are bound to find a Lladro figurine to their liking. Not only did Lladro incorporate animals and birds in a large majority of their figurines, they often produced figurines just of the animals themselves. The most prolific choices are of cats and dogs, but they also made bears, horses, rabbits, ducks, chicks, bison, donkeys, swans, elephants, doves, cows, owls, turkeys, and other animals and birds.

(Photo is of Lladro's Skye Terrier)

Although generally known for their fabulous figurines, Lladro also produced a number of other decorative items including eggs, bells, collector plates, lamps, clocks, vases, candle holders, bowls, covered boxes, paperweights, bookends, and even a chess set.

(Photo is of one of the 5 limited edition eggs they produced. This is the 1993 "Mother Bird with Babies")

Lladro Chess Set Figurine

Lladro produced a large variety of Christmas items including nativity sets, ornaments, balls, bells, and tree toppers, as well as Christmas themed figurines such as angels and Santas.

(Photo is of Lladro's "Angel Care", issued 1990, retired 2001)

Lladró Butterfly Wings Figurine

Lladro At the Ball Porcelain Figurine

Lladró Dancer Figurine

Lladro Natural Orchids Wall Art

Lladro Fairy Wish Wall Art