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Point 4 of 60 of 6 completed
The dragon was working retail
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41.3814, 2.1734
On arrival
At La Rambla 82, view Casa Bruno Cuadros from a safe position where the projecting facade elements are visible.
Look closer
Find the projecting dragon and then identify the umbrellas and other commercial motifs around it; read the whole facade as an advertisement.
Barcelona's bestiary moves from public sculpture to an animal with a sales target.
On La Rambla, the animal changes jobs completely. Casa Bruno Cuadros was remodelled by Josep Vilaseca in 1883 for an umbrella business, and its exuberant commercial decoration includes a large projecting Chinese dragon among umbrellas, fans and other orientalising motifs. That matters because the dragon can look older or more mysterious than it is. It is not evidence of a medieval beast cult hiding on the Rambla. It is late nineteenth-century advertising architecture trying very hard to be noticed. Stand across the street if conditions allow and find the dragon before reading the rest of the facade. The creature is doing exactly what good shop signage should do: stealing your attention.
Accessibility at this stop
Exterior facade stop on a very busy pedestrian corridor. Viewing position, crowding and safe crossing conditions need human or on-site confirmation.
These notes describe known conditions at this stop. Urban conditions can change, so assess the situation on site.
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4. The dragon was working retail
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