Retable of Saint Andrew
Artist: Master of Geria (Spanish, active about 1450-1490)
Date: about 1475-1500
Dimensions:
(A) H: 33 1/4 in. (84.4 cm); W: 15 5/8 in. (39.6 cm).
(B) H: 36 1/4 in. (92 cm); W: 23 in. (58.3 cm).
(C) H: 33 3/8 in. (84.6 cm); W: 15 7/8 in. (40.3 cm).
(D) H: 33 1/4 in. (84.5 cm); W: 15 3/4 in. (40 cm).
(E) H: 45 3/4 in. (166.2 cm); W: 23 3/8 in. (59.3 cm).
(F) H: 33 1/8 in. (84.2 cm); W: 15 3/4 in. (40 cm).
Medium: Oil on wood panel.
Place of Origin: Spain (Castile)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number: 1955.214A-F
Label Text:The uppermost panel of this altarpiece presents Christ’s crucifixion witnessed by the Virgin Mary and Saint John. To the right, Saint Catherine kneels in prayer before the spiked wheels of her martyrdom, which angels hack to pieces. Below, a kneeling female donor is accompanied by a bishop saint, probably her patron saint. She prays with the aid of a rosary before the dominating figure of Saint Andrew in the lower central panel. He holds a book and an X-shaped cross, his identifying attribute and the means of his martyrdom. The two panels on the left-hand side depict the Last Supper with Jesus and his apostles in the lower left and, above, Saint Alfonso (Ildefonso) praying before the Virgin. Appointed the archbishop of Toledo, Spain in 657, Alfonso was later made the city’s patron saint.
Spanish panel paintings from the 15th century typically lack the movable wings characteristic of altarpieces from Northern Europe, especially the Netherlands and France (see examples of winged altarpieces on display in galleries nearby). However, the influence of Netherlandish painting is seen in this altarpiece in the dramatic folds of the clothing and their detailed textures and patterns. In the late Middle Ages, the Spanish court employed many painters born or trained in the Netherlands, leading to the diffusion of northern styles in Spain in the second half of the 15th century.
Spanish panel paintings from the 15th century typically lack the movable wings characteristic of altarpieces from Northern Europe, especially the Netherlands and France (see examples of winged altarpieces on display in galleries nearby). However, the influence of Netherlandish painting is seen in this altarpiece in the dramatic folds of the clothing and their detailed textures and patterns. In the late Middle Ages, the Spanish court employed many painters born or trained in the Netherlands, leading to the diffusion of northern styles in Spain in the second half of the 15th century.
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In Collection(s)