MASTERPIECES FROM THE GOTHIC TO THE RENAISSANCE - Alberto Velasco Gonzàlez - Galeria Bernat
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MASTERPIECES FROM
THE GOTHIC TO THE
RENAISSANCE
Alberto Velasco Gonzàlez
1
4
MASTERPIECES FROM
THE GOTHIC TO THE
RENAISSANCE
(1350-1550)
Alberto Velasco Gonzàlez
Galería Bernat
Barcelona-Madrid
2020
Contents
Journey through the works: Hispanic painting
from the 14th to the 16th century. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
CATALOGUE
JAUME CASCALLS
Mourner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
JOAN DAURER
Saint Margaret . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
GONÇAL PERIS SARRIÀ
Saint Catherine of Alexandria’s Debate with the Pagan Sages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
THE MASTER OF SAINT BARTHOLOMEW
Epiphany. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
JOAN REIXAC
Mary Magdalene. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
JOAN REIXAC
Mary Magdalene. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
JUAN SÁNCHEZ DE SAN ROMÁN
Christ on the Way to Calvary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
CIRCLE OF FERNANDO GALLEGO
St. Catherine of Alexandria’s Debate with the Pagan Sages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
CIRCLE OF THE MASTER OF CASTELSARDO
Calvary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
FRANCESC DE OSONA
Deposition of Christ
Burial of Christ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
MASTER OF VALENCIA DE DON JUAN
The Beheading of St. John the Baptist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
MASTER OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST
Feast of Herod. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
PAOLO DE SAN LEOCADIO
Virgin and Child with the Infant St. John. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
JUAN DE BORGOÑA AND WORKSHOP
Calvary with the Mass of St. Gregory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
MIQUEL RAMELLS AND GUIOT BORGONYÓ
Birth of the Virgin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Bibliography. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Textos en castellano. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
4 MASTERPIECES FROM GOTHIC TO RENAISSANCE
intro
FOREWORD
Dear friends,
W
e are both delighted and excited to publish this new catalogue with the periods and styles), we firmly believe that this combination is enriching, and enables
Galería Bernat’s latest acquisitions. In spite of the unfortunate times we us to establish a dialogue between all works of art.
are all going through, and the uncertain days that lie ahead, our challenge
is to study all of our works in great depth, and it is our wish to share the results of that Research, study and the correct cataloguing of works of art is paramount to what we
study with you. do. We must therefore express our deepest thanks to Alberto Velasco, for the herculean
efforts he has made in the conception and materialization of the catalogue, as well
The works making up this catalogue span the period between 1350 and 1550. This is as his exhaustive study of all the works. This has made it possible, in the light of the
a journey through the varying periods of Hispanic painting, from the Gothic to the latest publications, to update some previous attributions and locate studies including
early Renaissance, not to mention our inclusion of an exceptional piece of sculpture. references to the works. He has also been of great help in the selection of the works,
lending coherence to this exhibition.
The Gallery specialises in medieval and Renaissance art, but our aesthetic vision is a
contemporary one, and from the outset we have also collaborated in the dissemination We have put great dedication and effort into obtaining unparalleled quality in the
of modern art, with the Piramidón, Centro de Arte Contemporáneo project. photographs illustrating the catalogue, which may also be consulted on our website. We
are currently living through a time when it would appear the general trend is moving
This catalogue is not just intended for collectors and lovers of antique art, it is aimed towards online exhibitions and sales. And yet we continue to think that the emotion
at all art lovers, whatever their preferred period. Our wish is for everyone to appreciate and discovery of the finer nuances may only be felt by contemplating works in situ. As
these works that are full of power, beauty, symbolism and quality. At a time when such, we warmly invite you to visit our gallery spaces in Madrid and Barcelona, so that
many collections are embracing eclecticism (the mixture of works from different you can appreciate and enjoy the works in the fullness of their expression.
José Alavedra and Marc Comerma
6 MASTERPIECES FROM GOTHIC TO RENAISSANCE 7
intro
Journey through the works:
Musée du Louvre, The Metropolitan Museum
of Art, Loyola University Museum of Art, Spen-
Hispanic painting from the
cer Museum of Art, Staatliche Museen zu Ber-
lin, Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (Bar-
celona), Museu Diocesà de Tarragona and the
14th to the 16th century Museu Frederic Marès (Barcelona), to name
but a few. To these we should add the vari-
ous fragments that have appeared on the art
market in recent years, which both in terms
of their material (alabaster) and style might
have originated there. This is the case of a
W
mourner that Brimo de Laroussilhe exhibited
ith this catalogue, the Bar- Our journey starts with the only piece of at TEFAF-Maastricht some years ago, which
celona and Madrid-based sculpture in the catalogue, a Mourner (cat. 1) we would personally link to Jaume Cascalls
Galería Bernat has managed originating, as we have just mentioned, from (fig. 1)3. Nothing is known of its provenance,
to unite an impressive co the pantheon the monarchs of the Crown of but the same artist should also be linked to a
llection of works from the 14 to the 16 cen-
th th
Aragon installed in one of the most important fragment with two clerics that was undoubt-
tury, many previously unpublished, which monasteries in the kingdom, Santa María de edly part of a relief depicting the funeral rites
enable us to reconstruct little chapters in the Poblet (Tarragona). The idea for the pantheon ceremony, which came up for sale in London
history of medieval art and the early Renaiss was conceived of by King Peter the Ceremoni- (Sam Fogg, 2015) (fig. 2). As we mention in the
ance across the Hispanic kingdoms. Some are ous in the mid-14 th
century, and he commis- corresponding study, the most significant dis-
of great importance, either due to their excep- sioned the best sculptors working in Catalonia covery is the appearance of a previously un-
tional provenance, as is the case of the Mourner at the time, Aloi de Montbrai and Jaume Cas- published Mourner from the same tomb as the
from the royal pantheon of the monastery of calls, with the intention of creating a dynastic one studied in this catalogue, which was pre-
Poblet (cat. 1), or because they make a signif memorial to lend prestige to the royal house. sented at the FAMA fair in Barcelona in 2020
icant contribution to the catalogue of an artist It is specifically to Cascalls that the Mourner (Palau Antiguitats) (fig. 3)4 .
with few surviving works, as with the St. Mar- should be attributed, for obvious stylistic rea-
garet by the Mallorcan painter Joan Daurer (cat. sons. Poblet is a monastery with a particularly Unfortunately, all that is left today of that im-
2). Others are simply the work of artists with chequered history, marked by the 1835 confis- pressive ensemble of works is the attempt at
long and fruitful artistic careers by which they cation, which opened the floodgates for the restoration and restitution undertaken by the
have been consecrated as landmark figures dispersal of most of its artistic heritage. The sculptor Frederic Marès in the mid-20th cen-
in the historiography of Hispanic art, as is the pantheon was one of the most affected parts, tury. Saying that, its original image can be
case of Gonçal Peris (cat. 3), Joan Reixac (cats. 5 subject to systematic destruction and pillage evoked through the physical elements that
and 6), Paolo de San Leocadio (cat. 13) and Juan up until the early 20 th
century . The varying
1
have survived, and also by the testimony left
de Borgoña (cat. 14). To this we should add that fragments that have appeared on the market
3 Velasco 2012a.
many of these works were circulating on the in- over the years are the result of those particu- 4 Although they fall outside our chronological timeframe, we
should add two fragments from the tomb of John II and his
ternational art market or in foreign collections, lar circumstances2 . As well as the works pre- wife Juana Enríquez, commissioned by Ferdinand the Catholic
from the Aragonese sculptor Gil Morlanes, who executed it in
so their acquisition and return to Spain is al- served in the monastery’s own museum, there around 1493-99 (for more on this tomb, see Arco 1945, p. 410
et passim.; Español 1999, pp. 96-98; Morte 2018, p. 51). One of
ways good news from a heritage point of view. are mourners or fragments from tombs in the these (Barcelona, private collection) shows a mourner hold-
ing an upside-down shield (signalling mourning) with the coat
of arms of King John (the arms of Aragon and Sicily), while
the second (Barcelona, Artur Ramon) may easily be attribut- Fig. 1. Jaume Cascalls, Mourner.
1 Toda 1935a; Fort 1979; Bassegoda 1983; Gonzalvo 2005. ed to the style of said master. The late chronology of these Paris, Brimo de Laroussilhe.
2 Español 1999; Barrachina 2002, pp. 32-34; Velasco 2011; Mata fragments clearly demonstrates the funerary function of the
2013. royal pantheon was still in effect.
8 MASTERPIECES FROM GOTHIC TO RENAISSANCE
intro
on 4 January 1387, with him are his three Viana is preserved entirely, with some sort of
wives, Maria daughter of the king of veneration. There are also those of the family
Navarre, Eleanor daughter of the king of of Segorbe and Cardona, the last patrons of
Portugal, and Eleanor daughter of the king this monastery, now belonging to the dukes
of Sicily. of Medinaceli.
3. Ferdinand the first, second son of John I
of Castile, and Eleanor, daughter of king In the chapels and diverse parts of the church
Peter IV of Aragon: died in Igualada on 2 one sees the tombs of princes and knights
April 1480. from those days, and in one all the relics
are carefully arranged, and there is a great
On the arch on the Epistles side, going down silver cross and, on a plinth, a Veronica that
the altar, they are: was miraculously painted and brought from
Naples by Pere of Aragon who introduced the
1. Alonso II, known as the Chaste, died in majority of the relics5.
Perpignan on 24 April 1106.
2. John I, son of King Peter IV and his third The oldest painting studied in this catalogue
wife Eleanor, died suddenly on 19 May 1396. is a Saint Margaret executed by Joan Daurer
His two wives are entombed with him, (cat. 2). This attribution is supported by the
Maria, daughter of the Count of Armagnac, work’s similarities to the Virgin with Child in
who died before ruling, and queen Violant, the church of Santa María in Inca, a signed
daughter of the Count of Barcelona. work by the painter dating from 13736 . We can
3. John II, second son of King Ferdinand I, also detect parallels with the second known
Fig. 2. Jaume Cascalls, Mourners. Fig. 3. Jaume Cascalls, Mourner. died in Barcelona on 19 January 1476, his work by the master, depicting the Coronation
London, Sam Fogg. Barcelona, Palau Antiguitats.
second wife Queen Juana is also entombed of Mary, preserved at the Museu Diocesà in
with him. Mallorca, and which has been included in
the artist’s meagre catalogue as a result of
by a number of scholars and travellers, as is most important ones entombed there. They The tombs referred to are followed by two stylistic comparison7. The unearthing of
the case of the Mallorcan Bernat Josep Olives are made of white marble with gemstones of mausoleums, one on each side. These this Saint Margaret therefore constitutes a
de Nadal (1678-1715), who in 1701 wrote a des different colours, with the clothes and fabrics are made of richly carved marble with major discovery in the context of Mallorcan
cription identifying the series of tombs and of the day, and by their names they are the kneeling statues. On the Gospel side we see Gothic painting from the second half of the
which, due to the interest it holds, we tran- following. a representation of King Alfonso V of Aragon 14th century, both in terms of the shortage of
scribe here, adding it to those already known: and Naples, and on the Epistles side Enric of works from the period and the fact that to
On the arch on the Gospel side, going down Aragon, son of King Ferdinand I and Eleanor, date the only known works by Daurer were the
“Between* the Choir and the main Chapel, on the altar, the following words: first Duke of Segorbe and head of this house. two mentioned above.
one side and another of the main nave, are the Dedicated to their memory, Pere of Aragon
royal tombs, constituting little rooms where 1. James I, known as the Conqueror, died a and Cardona, last of the dukes of Segorbe, Our catalogue presents a work from the
the bodies lie. The walls are of well-carved Cistercian monk in Valencia on 27 July ending the line of succession. Under the royal International Gothic period by the Valencian
white marble, and on top the statues of some 1276. tombs lie the bodies of many princes from Gonçal Peris Sarrià, one of the foremost
kings and queens are installed, including the 2. Peter IV son of Alfonso IV died in Barcelona the royal house of Aragon. That of Charles of artists in the context of the Crown of
* [Translator’ Note: In the absence of previously-published
translations of original documents, all Spanish texts have 5 Amorós-Canut-Martí 1993, pp. 461-462.
been translated for the purposes of this catalogue using a 6 Llompart 1977-1980, vol. III, pp. 33-34, No. 20; Martínez
standardised modern British English]. 2006.
7 Llompart 1977-1980, vol. III, p. 34; Beseran 1999.
10 MASTERPIECES FROM GOTHIC TO RENAISSANCE 11
intro
Aragon. The panel depicts St. Catherine of debate should be the analysis of the Altarpiece Paris’ Musée Marmottan, previously attributed Antón Gomar, the painter Pascual Ortoneda,
Alexandria’s Debate with the Pagan Sages of the Virgin from Rubielos de Mora (Teruel), to Jaume Huguet. and other painters such as Jaume Romeu and
(cat. 3), first published just a few years ago. which Carme Llanes recently documented as Salvador Roig15. We know nothing of the style
Peris is one of the most highly-regarded 15 - th
being the work of Gonçal Peris . Given that 10
The style of the painter is characteristic of of these latter artists, so we cannot rule out our
century Hispanic painters, both in academic its style stands in contrast to the Altarpiece someone trained towards the very end of the anonymous master actually being one of them.
fields and in the art market. His works are of St. Martin, St. Ursula and St. Anthony Abbot International Gothic in Aragon, linking up with
housed in the major Spanish museums as well from Valencia’s Museo de Bellas Artes, also various painters active in the region in the mid- Returning to the Valencia region, one of the
as in the Musée du Louvre, the National Gallery attributed to Peris, we will need to explore 15th century13. Saying that, his superior skills painters most influenced by the work of
of Scotland, the Worcester Museum of Art, avenues for distinguishing between the two and the surprising similarities with the art of Gonçal Peris Sarrià was Joan Reixac. There
the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas, artistic identities that the documents appear the Catalan artist Bernat Martorell call for him are documentary records of the relationship
and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. His to confirm. to be considered one of the major Aragonese between the two, and one can also sense the
sweet and affected style represents one of the painters, along with the author of the Alloza professional connection in certain shared
major milestones in Valencian art of the day, The shift from the International Style to altarpiece (Teruel), with whom he has some compositional elements. In fact, St. Cather-
conveyed through markedly contorted figures the “Flemishizing” period is illustrated in interesting parallels. Other Aragonese painters ine of Alexandria’s Debate with the Pagan
who are particularly striking due to the artist’s this catalogue through an Epiphany by the of the day that we might compare with him Sages (cat. 3), which we examine here, has
palette of pastel tones. Peris’ identity has not Master of St. Bartholomew (cat. 4), a fairly include the Master of Velilla and the Master of been put forward as an example of this, as
escaped historiographic polemic unscathed, high-quality painter from an Aragonese Monterde. All the same, it is important to stress there are certain compositional parallels be-
with some claiming he was just one painter background, by whom few works are known . 11
that his work bears little similarity with that tween the work and the same scene from the
living from around 1380 to 1451, while other It is first worth mentioning the altarpiece to of the foremost Aragonese painter working in altarpiece of Villahermosa del Río (Castellón),
specialists argue the case for two painters from which the panel in question belonged, an the region in the 1430s and 1440s, Blasco de which Reixac painted in around 144816 . Here
the same family, Gonçal Peris and Gonçal Peris ensemble of unknown provenance dedicated Grañén14 , to whom the majority of the painters we look at two Reixac panels which, curious-
Sarrià. The issue appears to have been resolved to the Virgin, from which other compartments experiencing the shift from International ly enough, both present depictions of Mary
recently in favour of the latter hypothesis, have survived: an Annunciation and Gothic to the “Flemishizing” period (Pere Magdalene (cats. 5 and 6). As with so many
thanks to the appearance of a document from Nativity (Musée des Beaux-Arts, Montreal), García de Benavarri, Martín de Soria, Tomás artists from the late Middle Ages, Reixac de-
1433 mentioning a deceased Gonçal Peris a Resurrection of Christ (The Metropolitan Giner and others) looked for guidance. This lack picted the saint in a similar fashion in the
which, given there are documentary records Museum of Art, New York), and an Ascension of connection with the main expressive channel two works, against a deep background, al-
of another painter with the same name up to of Christ (Museo de Bellas Artes, Seville) . 12
in the Zaragoza area, along with his links to though varying certain details. It was com-
1451, confirms the existence of two masters The second work attributed to the painter, Martorell’s style, lead us to wonder whether the mon for painters to make use of the models
working under one name . This calls for us to
8
and which gave him his artistic soubriquet, Master of St. Bartholomew may have trained that were most popular among their clientele,
reconsider the authorship of works until now is an altarpiece to St. Bartholomew, also of outside of Aragon, arriving, perhaps, from and which reflected the representational arch
grouped together under the label “Gonçal unknown origin and also broken up, with Catalonia. It is known that the arrival of the etypes the faithful had interiorized to per-
Peris”, as they may have been executed by two compartments scattered between the Museu Catalan Dalmau de Mur (1431-1456) at the head fection. We can see this in many of Reixac’s
different artists. In any case, for the moment Nacional d’Art de Catalunya and Bilbao’s of the Zaragoza archbishopric gave rise to a compositions, as is the case of a number of
Aliaga suggests linking all known or preserved Museo de Bellas Artes. The third and final number of masters from Catalonia settling crucifixions17, and even in less common imag-
works with the second Peris, Gonçal Peris work, whose provenance is equally unknown, in the city, such as the sculptor Pere Joan, the es, such as the Veronica of Christ. In the case
Sarrià9. Playing an important role in this is a panel depicting the Holy Burial housed at mazoneros and choir constructors Franci and of the latter, a two-faced work by Reixac is
8 The new document mentioning Gonçal Peris was revealed in 10 Llanes 2011, pp. 500-501 and 615-616, doc. 151.
13 For more on the context of Aragonese painting in the mid-
Aliaga 2016. Also see Gómez Frechina 2004a and Gómez Frechi- 11 For more on the painter, his artistic leanings and his two 15th century, see Velasco 2015a, pp. 83-104; Velasco 2018g, pp. 15 Velasco 2018g, p. 76.
na-Ruiz 2014, who prior to the appearance of said documents
known ensembles, see Macías 2010, pp. 45-57 and Macías 75-89. 16 For more on these matters, see Gómez-Ruiz 2014, pp. 7-8 and
argued the existence of one single Gonçal Peris. Also pub- 2013, pp. 363-382. 24-25.
lished on the subject is Llanes 2011, pp. 514-534, who defended 14 For more on Blasco de Grañén, see Lacarra 2004, as well as
the theory of two different Peris artists. 12 As regards the bibliography relating to these panels, see the the new approaches we presented in Velasco 2015b. Also see 17 See, for example, the ones illustrated in Gómez 2001k.
corresponding study (cat. 4). Macías 2013.
9 “In the light of the documents provided in this study, the fig-
ure of Gonçal Peris seems blurred in favour of his namesake
Sarrià. To attempt to define the pictorial identity of the first,
without yet having more conclusive information, would seem
overly bold” (Aliaga 2016, p. 51).
12 MASTERPIECES FROM GOTHIC TO RENAISSANCE 13
intro
Fig. 4. Joan Reixac. Veronica of Christ. sensus whatsoever23. Here we have the added
Private collection.
issue of Jacomart’s paintings being unknown,
although there have been numerous sugges-
tions linking him to major anonymous mas-
preserved at the parish church of Pego , 18
ters active in Valencia in around 1450, such as
where Christ’s face bears clear parallels with the Master of Bonastre or the Master of the
another two-faced work from the Durrieu Porciúncula24 . Be that as it may, Reixac stands
collection , as well as with a Veronica of Christ
19
as a giant of late Gothic Valencian painting,
from a private collection that we believe to be with such major works as the St. Anne altar-
previously unpublished (fig. 4). Furthermore, piece from the Collegiate Basilica of Xàtiva
the Virgin’s face from the Durrieu work draws (Valencia), the St. Catherine altarpiece in Villa-
on a previous model by Gonçal Peris Sarrià, hermosa del Río or the Altarpiece of the Eucha-
which once again leads us back to the connec- rist from the Carthusian Monastery of Vallde-
tions between the two painters. crist (Altura, Castellón), housed today in the
Segorbe Cathedral Museum.
Reixac’s depictions of Mary Magdalene speak
of the introduction of Flemishizing influenc- Reixac’s final period of activity coincided with
es in the Valencia region, an aesthetic para- the emergence of Roderic de Osona, who man-
digm shift of which Reixac was the leading aged a workshop where his sons Francesc and
exponent. We see this particularly in the pres- Jeroni also worked25. This catalogue presents
ence, in both works, of a distant background two panels by Francesc de Osona depicting
that directly reflects the Eyckian climate of the Deposition of Christ and the Burial of
exaltation being experienced in Valencia in Christ (cat. 10). They were undoubtedly part of
the mid-15th century20. We should not forget a predella to Christ’s Passion, perhaps original-
that Reixac actually owned some works by ly in the Carthusian Monastery of Valldecrist,
Jan van Eyck, including a St. Francis of Assisi from which other compartments are known.
Receiving the Stigmata, as recorded in his will The Osona family played a leading role in the
and testament of 144821. Reixac was a painter move from the Flemishizing artistic language
of Catalan origin with a long and well-docu- to that of the Renaissance in the Valencia re-
mented career, by whom a number of works gion, an aesthetic paradigm shift from which
have survived . He stood at the helm of the
22
we should highlight one main landmark: the
Valencian pictorial market for around half arrival of the Italian painters Paolo de San Leo-
a century, along with another major painter cadio and Francesco Pagano in 1472. It was as
from the time, the elusive Jaume Baço, alias Ja- such that the impact Leocadio’s painting had
comart. Historiographic studies have debated in 1470s Valencia must have been consider-
and speculated on the relationship that exist- able, and one of the first painters to echo the
ed between the two without finding any con- innovative suggestions the Italian brought
18 Gómez 2001l; Toscano 2001. 23 Current state of play in Gómez-Ferrer 2006. Cfr. Gómez Ferrer
2017. See a recent approach to the problem in Company 2018,
19 Reproduced in Gómez 2001l, p. 134, figs. 6.2 and 6.4. pp. 213-244, with a position opposing that of Benito 2001, pp.
20 For more on this matter, see Benito 2001, Montero 2016, Fran- 31-45. New contribution to the debate in Cornudella 2016.
sen 2017 and Molina 2018a, pp. 27-29, among others.
24 Benito 2001; Ruiz 2003; Montolío 2003a.
21 Montero 2016. 25 For more on the Osona family, see Company 1991 and Company
22 The existing literature dealing with his identity is extensive. 1994a. The most recent study of this family of painters can be
We refer to Gómez-Ferrer 2010, or to the more recent appraisal found in Samper-López 2017.
by Company 2018.
14 MASTERPIECES FROM GOTHIC TO RENAISSANCE 15intro
from the Padua/Ferrara region was Roderic de Fig. 5. Pedro Sánchez I. Pietà with
saints. Private collection.
Osona. Leocadio’s ranging backgrounds, with
their potent atmospheres and narrative detail,
must have caught the Osonas’ eye. However,
even before the Italian’s arrival, these North-
ern European-style landscapes had already that, there is no consensus regarding wheth-
become a common trait of 15 -century Va- th
er his workshop was made up of one or sev-
lencian art, as we have seen with reference to eral artists. He is a painter whose attributed
Joan Reixac. Be that as it may, and despite the works include the altarpiece that gave him his
fact that Leocadio’s work constituted a great name, remains of which are preserved in Cas-
innovation, one cannot say that everything telsardo Cathedral, and the Tuilli altarpiece.
changed radically from that point on, as the in- At some point he moved to the city of Barce-
troduction of the Italianizing lexicon into the lona, where he completed a major commis-
Valencia region was gradual and progressive. sion, the Sant Vicenç de Sarrià parish church
The late Gothic continued to hold sway, but we altarpiece, which had been left unfinished by
cannot ignore the fact that bit by bit the inno- Jaume Huguet. What we have here is a paint-
vative aspects were adopted at surface level by er with a close connection to Catalan painting
painters such as the Osonas, who introduced and, in particular, Aragonese painting, which
classical motifs into their works, such as the has led Scanu to suggest the master may have
living garlands of seraphim or putti. We can been from that area27.
observe this in the magnificent Calvary from
the church of San Nicolás in Valencia26 , a work As regards the kingdom of Castile, the painting
commissioned in 1476 that included said mo- to emerge between 1450 and 1500 shows that
tifs in the predella compartments. the Flemish influence made itself felt there
much more than in the areas belonging to the
Remaining within the Crown of Aragon, the Crown of Aragon. Castilian painters aligned to
catalogue includes a painting attributed to the late Gothic style undertook a more direct
the Circle of the Master of Castelsardo, a pictorial synthesis of the Flemish lexicon than
Calvary (cat. 9) previously documented in a their Aragonese, Catalan, Mallorcan, Sardini-
Sardinian collection, and which has recently an or Valencian counterparts, for whom the
enjoyed interesting historiographic fortunes. native tradition of gold backgrounds, for ex-
Once attributed directly to the master, recent ample, was a determining factor. One could
studies of the late Gothic Sardinian panel argue that in Castilian altarpieces the style of
painting link it to his immediate circle. The Flemish masters was adopted in a more faith-
Master of Castelsardo, active in Sardinia in ful and mimetic fashion.
around 1490-1510, an area then belonging to
the Crown of Aragon, is a complex artistic fig- This was a widespread trend, and can be ob-
ure who has been subject to revision by vary- served in painters from the Burgos/Palencia re-
ing specialists in recent years. Despite all of gion28, as well as in artists working in Andalusia.
26 Falomir 1994; Company 1994c; Gómez 2001m. 27 Scanu 2017a; Scanu 2017b. The main literature dealing with
the painter may be found in the relevant study in this cata-
logue (cat. 9).
28 Silva 1990.
16 MASTERPIECES FROM GOTHIC TO RENAISSANCE 17intro
With regard to the latter, this catalogue pres- Fig. 6. Circle of Fernando Gallego. Martyrdom of
St. Catherine. Madrid, Museo del Prado.
ents a previously unpublished panel depict-
ing Christ on the Way to Calvary which we at-
tribute to Juan Sánchez de San Román (cat. cently (Buenos Aires, Jaime Eguiguren), the
7). The appearance of this work constitutes a work of Alejo Fernández33, the artist who led
major addition to the painter’s catalogue, as the next generation of painters in Seville. The
only two of his works were previously known, general attention to detail and the refined
both signed, a Calvary with Saints and Donor technique demonstrated in the “Flemishiz-
from Seville Cathedral and a Christ Man of ing” reflections on the armour can also be
Sorrows preserved at the Museo del Prado . 29
observed in a St. Michael Archangel, originally
Apart from the links to works by the master, from the Hospital de Zafra (Badajoz), and now
the style and format of the panel enable us to housed in the Museo del Prado, the work of
establish a clear connection to Seville paint- an anonymous author whose style has often
ing, given the parallels with works from said been compared to other works from the Se-
region. As such, Christ’s face is reminiscent of ville context and, in particular, Alejo Fernán-
that of St. John the Baptist as he appears in the dez34 . Much the same can be said for the sole
Lamentation over the Dead Christ that Post saw known work by the painter Juan Núñez (doc.
when it was owned by the art dealer Tomás 1480-1534), the Pietà with St. Vincent, St. Mi-
Harris (London), and which a few years ago be- chael and Donor from Seville Cathedral35,
longed to none other than the Galería Bernat where we find the same execution in the ar-
(fig. 5) . Likewise, the Christ and the soldier
30
mour of St. Michael and faces that, in general,
leading him with a rope tied to his neck close- bear some resemblance to those that appear
ly resemble the figures from the central panel in the panel we are examining here. Finally,
of a triptych from the old Alfonso de Orléans the double arch in the background, over which
collection, housed today in the Museo de Bel- the decorative architectural motif would have
las Artes in Seville, attributed to the Circle of been fitted, is a common aesthetic device in
Juan Sánchez de San Román . Furthermore, a 31
late Gothic Seville painting, as seen in some
soldier bearing a similar shield is to be found of the compartments from the Alanís de la Si-
in a panel depicting the same subject signed erra altarpiece (Seville). Furthermore, in the
by Antón and Diego Sánchez, preserved today Crowning with Thorns from said ensemble, we
in the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge (inv. observe a soldier with his back to us, hiding
M. Add. 16)32 . his face, and lifting one leg in much the same
way as in our panel.
The painstaking execution of the armour, the
spartan appearance of the landscape depict- Another of the little-known panels being stud-
ed, and the shadows cast by the figures on the ied here is a St. Catherine of Alexandria’s De-
ground are reminiscent of a panel portraying bate with the Pagan Sages (cat. 8), attribut-
the same subject that came on the market re- ed to the Circle of Fernando Gallego, and
29 For more on the painter and said works, see Gestoso 1909; 33 Velasco 2018d.
Serrera 1987. 34 Post 1934, p. 46; Gudiol 1955, pp. 395-396; Silva 2003.
30 Post 1934, p. 13, fig. 5. 35 Valdivieso 2003.
31 Post 1934, p. 23, fig. 10; Serrera 1987, p. 84.
32 Post 1934, p. 15, fig. 6.
18 MASTERPIECES FROM GOTHIC TO RENAISSANCE 19intro
which has the added interest of having be- de León and in private collections. Gómez altarpiece dedicated to St. John the Baptist, Two of the fully Renaissance paintings stud-
longed to the same altarpiece as a Martyrdom Moreno was the first to discover the panels, which gave the master his name and which ied in this catalogue refer to painters with suc-
of St. Catherine preserved today at the Museo still in situ in around 1908: includes the panel we are studying here, a cessful and prolific careers who have enjoyed
del Prado (fig. 6). This second panel was once Feast of Herod (cat. 12). A second compart- historiographic recognition through the pub-
attributed directly to the master, although “Two side altars are decorated with 12 panels, ment is housed at the Art Institute in Chicago, lication of numerous studies. The first of these
technical studies ultimately ruled out that from the late 15th century, which at one and the third’s location is unknown. Accord- is Juan de Borgoña, one of the big names in
hypothesis . Be that as it may, the connec-
36
time would have made up the church’s main ing to Ballesté, we are dealing with a painter the Castilian early Renaissance, whose previ-
tion between both works and Gallego’s close altarpiece. There are four narrow panels, with who was undoubtedly active in the dioceses ously unpublished Calvary (cat. 14) is present-
circle is clear, as can be seen if we compare prophets bearing long written signs; another of León and Palencia in around 1500 who, in ed here. From Toledo, Borgoña’s work generat-
the Prado panel with the Martyrdom of St. four, measuring 75cm square, with pairs of spite of the close resemblance his style bears ed a considerable impact through the north-
Catherine from the altarpiece by Francisco apostles half-length, and the rest, which are to that of the Master of Palanquinos, cannot east of the current region of Castile and León,
Gallego in Salamanca’s Museo Diocesano, in excess of 130cm by 102cm, depict the feast be considered either a pupil or follower of the with his approach to understanding painting
dated to around 1499-1500 . This work by 37
of Herod, in Gothic church; the beheading of latter . That does, however, explain why the
41
spreading to other areas, such as Ávila, Zamo-
Fernando Gallego’s son and collaborator fea- John the Baptist, with two warriors in silver two panels from the same altarpiece as our ra and Palencia, where the gauntlet was taken
tures figures that bear a close resemblance to breastplates in attendance, a saint preaching Feast of Herod were at one time attributed up by painters such as Lorenzo de Ávila, Juan
those in the panels we are discussing, and in to a crowded auditorium, with it being worth to said master, and linked to one of his most de Borgoña II, Francisco and Antonio de Co-
the martyrdom scene we can also observe a noting a man sitting in a scissors chair, the representative works, the Santa Marina Altar- montes, the Alejo Master, Antonio Vázquez
similar model with the position of the break- pointed caps and veils worn by the women, and piece from the church of Mayorga de Campos and Juan Correa de Vivar. The latter was most
ing wheel spikes reversed. the back of a building, with a rampant lion on (Valladolid), housed today in the Museo de certainly the most skilled of his followers43.
its shield; and finally a miracle conducted by a Bellas Artes de Asturias (Oviedo) . 42
Like his master, much of his career took place
Another painter from the Castilian late Goth- saint, with chalice, from which three serpents around the city of Toledo, as did that of one of
ic represented in this catalogue is the Mas- are emerging. These works are painted in oil, Painters such as those mentioned above illus- his most important pupils, Francisco de Co-
ter of Valencia de Don Juan, with links to darkly outlined, with backgrounds etched in trate the way in which Classicism was assim- montes, who also contributed to the popular-
the close circle of the Master of Palanquinos, gold making up Gothic adornments; floors ilated throughout the Castilian region, a pro- ization of human models and compositions
along with painters such as the Master of Vil- with tiles in perspective; brocade clothing cess that was not incompatible with the ongo- that had been successfully tried out by Juan
lafáfila, the Master of Valdescorriel or the but always with crude repainting; highly ing survival of certain late Gothic archaisms. de Borgoña.
Master of Santa Marina. All of these worked characteristic and expressive human models; Gradually, the architectural features provid-
in an area comprising the current provinces highly noteworthy clothing. They are from the ing a structure for the altarpiece scenes would One of Borgoña’s archetypal compositions
of León, Zamora and Palencia, including the school of Fernando Gallego, to be exact, and adapt to the Classical canon, while simultane- is the Crucifixion, for which he gradually
dioceses of León and Astorga . The Master 38
suffer from incorrection in everything”39. ously introducing grotesques and a candelieri developed a model of considerable success,
of Valencia de Don Juan is a recently-created motifs. Painters would start to use perspective the most important exponent of which may
figure whose catalogue of works is made up Much the same can be said for the so-called when depicting spaces, seeking to create cred- be seen today in the Law Faculty of the Com-
by pieces previously attributed to the Master Master of St. John the Baptist, another ible surroundings into which to locate their plutense University of Madrid44 . This type of
of Palanquinos. The work we are presenting newly-created figure whose catalogue of works scenes, while their interest in anatomy and representation was copied and imitated by
here, the Beheading of St. John the Baptist is made up of pieces formerly linked to the the marked gestural movements of their fig- some of his followers, such as Correa de Vivar
(cat. 11), is one of the compartments from the Master of Palanquinos40. Works attributed to ures increased. These matters would combine or Francisco and Antonio de Comontes. By the
main altarpiece from the church of Valencia this painter include an Assumption of the Vir- with Flemish-style landscapes as well as with latter, one panel from the Rudolf Gerstenmai-
de Don Juan (León), from which other frag- gin with St. Thomas and Donor, today in private the use of broken folds in clothing, typical of er collection bears clear similarities with the
ments have survived, preserved in the Museo hands, as well as three compartments from an Gothic tradition. Calvary presented in this catalogue45. Parallels
41 Ballesté 2017, vol. I, p. 108; Ballesté 2019, p. 255. 43 For more on all of them, though this list is by no means ex-
36 Garrido-Cabrera 1981, pp. 43-48. Cfr. Silva 2004, p. 40. haustive, see Angulo 1954; Post 1966; Brasas 1985; Fiz 2003;
39 Gómez Moreno 1925-1926, pp. 455-456. 42 Post 1947, p. 797, fig. 332; Berg-Sobré 2008.
37 García Sebastián 1979, fig. 17. Mateo 2004; Fiz 2009; Ruiz 2010; Pascual 2012; Velasco 2015c.
40 For more on the painter, see Ballesté 2017, pp. 105-108.
38 For more on this series of painters, see Ballesté 2017. 44 Mateo 2004, p. 120.
45 Velasco 2018e.
20 MASTERPIECES FROM GOTHIC TO RENAISSANCE 21intro
with Comontes’ oeuvre are more than evident Fig. 7. Paolo de San Leocadio. Virgin and
Child with the Infant St. John. Valencia,
in varying aspects of the work, which leads us Museo de Bellas Artes.
to date it to towards the end of Borgoña’s ca-
reer. To this we should add the stylistic links
to works such as the main altarpiece of San one might think they were all able, or those
Miguel de los Ángeles in Toledo, housed today that really were painters if there was more
in Madrid’s Almudena Cathedral, a commis- than one of them, to share a similar style”48 .
sion Borgoña took on in 1531 ; or the Deposi- 46
tion preserved in the parish church of Pastra- The second great figure of the Hispanic Re-
na (Guadalajara), which Cruz Valdovinos and naissance whose work is included in this cata-
Mateo dated to the end of Juan de Borgoña’s logue is Paolo de San Leocadio, with a Virgin
artistic career, and which could be related to and Child with the Infant St. John, also previ-
a commission undertaken by the painter in ously unpublished (cat. 13). The attribution is
1534-1536 . 47
solid due to the stylistic evidence and the fact
that the master painted the same subject in
The major stylistic similarities that exist be- other works, such as a panel housed today in
tween the works of some of the painters ac- Valencia’s Museo de Bellas Artes (fig. 7), and
tive in Toledo in the first half of the 16 cen- th
others preserved in varying private collec-
tury mean it is not always easy to distinguish tions. In terms of dates, the panel from the
between the style of one and another. As such, Valencian museum was executed in around
Juan Carlos Pascual is one author who has 1500-1515, matching the painter’s time in
been lately making a case for reorganising this Gandía, a timeframe that is perfectly valid for
panorama through the study of the work of Lo- the work we are dealing with here.
renzo de Ávila, who started his career in Tole-
do and coincided with Juan de Borgoña. In the Paolo de San Leocadio received his artistic
work currently linked to the latter artist, Pas- training in Ferrara, and arrived in Valencia
cual detects two highly differentiated styles. in 1472, alongside his fellow painter Fran-
The inferior of the two, which he calls “style cesco Pagano49. His settling in the area has
B”, tallies, for instance, with that of the Ursu- traditionally been considered to have sig-
las altarpiece in Salamanca where, according nalled the arrival of models from Padua and
to said specialist, it is difficult to differentiate Ferrara in Valencian painting, subsequent-
between Juan de Borgoña, Correa de Vivar and ly being developed by Leocadio himself and
Francisco de Comontes. This has led him to copied by the Osonas, among others 50 . His
claim that “the works of Correa de Vivar, the and Pagano’s arrival in Valencia came about
Comontes, uncle and nephew, and the Bor- thanks to the mediation of Bishop-Cardinal
goñas, father and son, are so difficult to tell Rodrigo Borgia, the future Pope Alexander
apart, especially when the dates match, that VI, who suggested they undertake the mural
48 Pascual 2012, p. 159.
46 Mateo 2004, pp. 156-159. 49 For more on the figure of Paolo de San Leocadio, see Company
2009.
47 Cruz Valdovinos 1980; Mateo 2004, pp. 161-162.
50 This is the position that has been put forward by Company
in a number of works, including Company 1989 and Company
2009, pp. 29-41.
22 MASTERPIECES FROM GOTHIC TO RENAISSANCE 23intro
tioned by Abalarte Subastas (Madrid) on 4-5 but two artists. The painters in question were
December 2019 (lot 1093), and now the prop- Miquel Ramells, from the town of Cardona,
erty of Nicolás Cortés Gallery (fig. 8). The work and Guiot Borgonyó, and the pair worked to-
follows a model by Francesco Maineri, and gether for a period during their respective
we know of a number of versions attributed artistic careers. At present, the start and end
to the painter . The golden reflections in the
52
dates established for Ramells’ activity span
hair and the ethereal character of the nimbus the period from 1531 to 157356 . Saying that, it
are minor details that match the work being is worth bringing his first appearance in the
studied here. documents back a year, when he is recorded
as a relative and legal representative of the
Our journey through these works draws to painter Joan Pau Guardiola, alias Joanot de
its conclusion with a piece that speaks of the Pau, and of his wife, for taking payment of
consolidation of the Renaissance language in certain sums owed to them due to matters
Catalonia. This is a Birth of the Virgin (cat. relating to their profession57.
15) attributed to the two-man team made up
of Miquel Ramells and Guiot Borgonyó. Works attributed today to this partnership
The style of the work before us fits what his- of painters include the altarpieces of Sant
toriography calls “romanisme català” , or 53
Joan de Caselles (1537) and Sant Miquel de
Catalan Romanism, a pictorial trend from the Prats, in Andorra, the one dedicated to St. Fig. 9. Miquel Ramells and Guiot Borgonyó. Nativity.
Andorra, Andorran Government.
first half of the 16 th
century, which included Margaret that was preserved in Lascuarre
Fig. 8. Paolo de San Leocadio. Christ the Nazarene.
Madrid, Galería Nicolás Cortés. masters such as Pere Nunyes, Henrique Fer- (Huesca) until 1936, the one in Caldes de
Fig. 10. Miquel Ramells and Guiot Borgonyó. Epiphany.
nandes, or the foreign-born Pere Serafí and Malavella, partially destroyed during the Andorra, Andorran Government.
Pietro Paolo da Montalbergo. Here we should Spanish Civil War, and several isolated pan-
paintings of the main chapel of the Cathe- also mention the Master of Canillo, a laborato- els such as a St. Sylvester and the Dragon, a
dral. They were commissioned to carry out ry figure created by Post , whose identity was
54
Beheading of St. John the Baptist and a Nativ-
the job that very year, working on it until fully defined thanks to the contribution of An- ity and a Epiphany (figs. 9 and 10) 58 . The lat-
1476. Despite being thought lost for sever- gulo55. It is without doubt to this latter painter ter two panels, which belong today to the
al centuries, a few years ago the remains of that the work we are considering here should Andorran Government, are of particular in-
that enormous enterprise were uncovered, be attributed. What is most interesting is that terest to us here, not only because they were
the seraphim angels from the apse vault, this is someone who was given a name and sold by the Galería Bernat, but also because
which have become the seminal Renais- date only quite recently, when Joan Bosch and their measurements (65 x 52.5 cm and 64.7 x
sance work in the Hispanic kingdoms 51. Francesc Miralpeix unearthed the contract 53.1 cm, respectively) enable us to establish
for the main altarpiece of the church of Sant a clear link to the Birth of the Virgin (65 x 47
Paolo de San Leocadio is an artist by whom Joan de Caselles, in Andorra, one of the main cm) we are examining here. The matching
few works have come onto the market, so the works from the catalogue of the old Master of dimensions, along with the existing sub-
appearance of this panel is good news. As is Canillo. Thanks to the appearance of said doc- ject-orientated connection, might indicate
the recent sale of a Christ the Nazarene (69 ument, we now know that behind the figure that they were all part of one single Marian
x 50 cm), also previously unpublished, auc- of that anonymous master there was not one, altarpiece of unknown origin.
51 Pérez 2006; Miglio-Oliva-Pérez 2011. 52 Benito 2006b; Company, 2009, pp. 180-182. 56 Bosch-Miralpeix 2017, pp. 367-368.
53 Garriga 1986, pp. 140-143. Also see the comments in Bosch 57 Llobet 1990, p. 33.
2002-2003. 58 For more on this ensemble of works, see José 2007 and Bosc-
54 Post 1958, pp. 364-378. h-Miralpeix
2017, pp. 107-121 and 367-368.
55 Angulo 1944 and Angulo 1954.
24 MASTERPIECES FROM GOTHIC TO RENAISSANCE 25intro
Catalogue
26 MASTERPIECES FROM GOTHIC TO RENAISSANCE 27Mourner
Cat. 1
JAUME CASCALLS
(doc. 1341-1377)
Mourner
Catalonia, c. 1350-1375
Originally from the royal pantheon in the Monastery of Santa María de Poblet
(Tarragona)
Sculpture in alabaster and glass appliqué
37.5 x 10 x 5 cm
PROVENANCE:
London, Denys Miller Sutton collection; United States, private collection.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
unpublished.
28 MASTERPIECES FROM GOTHIC TO RENAISSANCEcatalogo
T
he work we have before us here is The mourner belonged to the collection
a high-relief alabaster mourner owned by the prestigious art historian and
belonging to the funeral cortège collector Denys Miller Sutton (1917-1991)1, and
decorating a tomb. The figure is then went on to join a North American collec-
depicted completely from the front and full- tion. It almost certainly originally belonged
length, wearing a long robe with tubular to the royal pantheon located in the mon-
folds running from top to bottom, while his astery of Santa María de Poblet (Tarragona).
head is covered by a hood. His face clearly We should therefore bear in mind the indica-
expresses a surprising serenity to contrast tions of provenance of two mourners that in
with the dramatic nature and exaggerated all probability belonged to the same tomb as
expressiveness characteristic of this sort our piece. The first of these, also unpublished,
of mournful representation. Towards the recently appeared on the market in Barcelona
bottom, level with the character’s feet, we find and was exhibited at the FAMA fair (Palau An-
one of the piece’s most striking decorative tiguitats, Barcelona, March 2020) (fig. 3 from
features, remains of the blue glass appliqué the introductory text). It belonged to María
adorning the back of the scenes from the
tomb in which it was included. 1 Sutton was secretary of the International Commission for
Restitution of Cultural Material and an art specialist at UNES-
CO. An art critic for the Financial Times and editor of the art
magazine Apollo, he was a visiting lecturer at Yale University.
His more notable publications include those dedicated to Pi-
casso and James Whistler, and a history of Christie’s auction
house. See his personal archive entry housed at the Univer-
sity of Glasgow: Sutton, Denys Miller (1917-1991: art critic
and editor of Apollo), Papers of Denys Miller Sutton, 1917-
1991, art critic and editor of Apollo, c1940-1990. University
of Glasgow Special Collections. GB 247 MS SUTTON’ on the
Archives Hub website, [https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/data/
gb247-mssutton, date accessed: 10 June 2020).
30 MASTERPIECES FROM GOTHIC TO RENAISSANCE 31catalogo
Tarragó’s collection, who left us a valuable oral obvious. The same style may be observed with
testimony in which she explained that the a fourth mourner, preserved at the Museu Na-
piece was a gift to her father-in-law from the cional d’Art de Catalunya, where it has been
director of the Caixa de Pensions bank in Reus housed since 1992 when it was donated by the
(Tarragona) in the early 1930s. He, in turn, had Aproarte association of antiques dealers5. In
received it as a gift from an elderly lady living this case, the base is somewhat narrower and
in the town ofEspluga de Francolí (Tarragona), there are no glass remains.
near the monastery2 .
The style of this group of mourners takes us
The second of the two fragments referred straight to the sculptor Jaume Cascalls, who
to points to a similar provenance. This is a worked on the materialisation of the royal
mourner formerly part of the collection be- pantheon in Poblet between 1349 and 1377,
longing to Pau Font de Rubinat (1860-1948), by order of Peter the Ceremonious. This was
an important politician and bibliophile from without doubt the monarch’s most ambitious
Reus who we know also had an interesting artistic project, and one of the most iconic
collection of art. Our knowledge of this piece Gothic ones in the entire Crown of Aragon6 .
comes through a photo from Barcelona’s In- It saw a return to the tradition started by his
stitut Amatller d’Art Hispànic (ref. number predecessors in the 12th century of being bur-
C-35381, 1920)3. That both pieces should have ied in said monastery, and he stipulated not
been at large in the Tarragona region there- only his wish to lie at rest there forever, but
fore suggests that they may have been subject also sent a message to his successors that
to the abandonment, pillage and destruction they ought to do likewise. This pointed to the
suffered by the famous monastery after the Ceremonious monarch’s wish to create a dy-
1835 confiscation. nastic pantheon with the aim of lending his
royal house enduring prestige, which was re-
The same tomb must have included a third flected in his constant use of artistic forms
mourner, now preserved at Barcelona’s Museu for the purposes of propaganda. He threw
Frederic Marès (inv. MFMB 1509)4 , of exactly the himself into the initiative and stuck with it
same style as the others and which, further- with great interest during his reign, keeping
more, has a base of the same width and the re- a close eye on the artists who were working
mains of glass appliqué, as found on the one we on the project. It was specifically this mon-
are dealing with here and the one that recently arch who decided that the technique of glass
appeared for sale in Barcelona. The piece from appliqué should be usedon the monastery’s
the Font de Rubinat collection also had a base tombs, as recorded in a document from 1354,
of similar shape and width, although the old where the king admits to having seen it in a
photos do not allow us to determine whether tomb being completed by Cascalls and which
there were any remains of glass appliqué. In any presented “hominum gestus hostendentium
case, that they all belonged to the same tomb is luctuosos”7.
2 This information is included in an unpublished report on the 5 Terés 1993.
work by Joan Yeguas (Yeguas 2001, p. 4). 6 For more on the pantheon, see the classical studies by Toda
3 We provide the reference to this photograph in Español 1991. 1935b, Arco 1945 and Marès 1952, as well as the more recent
4 For more on this mourner, see Español 1991. works by Bracons 1989; Español 1999, Manote-Terés 2007, Bra-
cons 2007 and Español 2018, among others.
7 Rubió 1908-1921, vol. II, p. 104, doc. CXI.
32 MASTERPIECES FROM GOTHIC TO RENAISSANCE 33catalogo
Saint Margaret
Cat. 2
JOAN DAURER
(c. 1348-1394/1395)
Saint Margaret
Mallorca, c. 1360-1380
Painting in tempera on panel
128 x 45.5 cm
PROVENANCE:
Germany, private collection.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
unpublished.
34 MASTERPIECES FROM GOTHIC TO RENAISSANCE 35catalogo
T
he panel presents a depiction of two-headed creature is attached, lying at her
St. Margaret, full-length and in feet. As regards the background of the panel,
three-quarter position, looking it has two perfectly differentiated areas. The
to her left. The figure has been larger of the two presents a latticework effect,
adapted to the format of the support, which while the lower area has blue polychromy
is elongated and shaped like a truncated resembling pavement on which there are two
triangle at the top. The saint is dressed in a pointed, quartered coats of arms: 1st and 4th
brown-coloured robe with her sleeve cuffs quarters or, two bars gules; 2nd and 3rd quarter
and collar decorated with a band of floral vert, a gold well with a crown, the same colour.
motifs. She is also wearing a cloak, deep red One of the work’s most striking and interest-
on the outside and blue on the inside. Her ing aspects from a technical point of view
face is fine and delicate. The saint boasts is the use of gilding. We see one type in the
a long mane of blond hair which is tucked cross the saint is holding in her left hand,
back into her robe, and wears a crown applied using mordant to fix it. But what re-
decorated with gemstones and fleur-de-lis ally catches the eye is the technique used to
ornamental motifs. In two fingers of her left gild the halo, which in its chromatic appear-
hand she is holding a little gold cross, while ance and dull tone might have been mosa-
with her right hand she presents the palm ic gold, a pigment whose use was extremely
of martyrdom and a metal chain to which a rare in panel painting from the Gothic period
36 MASTERPIECES FROM GOTHIC TO RENAISSANCE 37You can also read
