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Juan Martínez Montañés was one of the most important sculptors and altarpiece architects of the Spanish Golden Age. The restoration of the Santa Clara church in Seville has presented a unique opportunity to study the main altarpiece, crafted by Montañés between 1621 and 1623. He was also in charge of the polychromy and gilding, believing that delegating these procedures to others would diminish the quality of his work. This conviction led to a well-known lawsuit with the renowned contemporary Spanish painter Francisco Pacheco. Ultimately, the painter and sculptor Baltasar Quintero performed the polychromy of this altarpiece, but under the strict conditions of Montañés. Various non-invasive analytical techniques, such as CT, UVF, XRF, and digital microscopy, were employed to study wood treatment and polychromy. Additionally, three samples were prepared as cross-sections and analysed by SEM-EDX. The results revealed Montañés’ meticulous woodwork, anticipating its long-term preservation. Consistent with Montañés’ commitment to maintaining the superior quality of his work, the analysis showed an absence of a ground layer in the flesh areas, while the gilding was executed with high-quality gold. The pigment palette corresponds to the treaties and documents of his time, and the extensive areas of later retouches were accurately located. These new data provide a deeper understanding of both the technique and the high standards of one of the most important and globally recognised sculptors.

Painted polyptych altarpieces appeared on high altars in late Duecento in the churches of mendicant orders. They were characterized by a special manner of organizing visual material by juxtaposing single half-figures with each other and arranging them in rows and columns, allowing no room for narrative elements, widely used at that time in panel painting. Such narrative-free character of main altarpieces would be preserved throughout the whole period of their popularity. However, polyptychs created in late Trecento integrated narrative scenes and even entire cycles into the structure of the altarpieces, which required new approaches to composition and to the use of pictorial space. The article examines the role of narrative content in altarpieces of late Trecento and discusses the origins and development of this new style. Живописный алтарный полиптих, предназначенный для главного храмового алтаря, сформировался во второй половине XIII века в Италии в церквах нищенствующих орденов и использовал особый способ организации визуального материала путём сопоставления фигур между собой и выстраивания их в ряды по вертикали и по горизонтали, в рамках которого почти не было места для повествовательных элементов, которые в это время широко использовались в других типах живописных произведений на досках. Такой «анти-нарративный» характер алтарный образ будет сохранять на всём протяжении своего существования. Однако произведения, созданные с середины до конца XIV века, демонстрируют уникальные решения, нацеленные на интеграцию повествовательных сцен и даже циклов в структуру алтарного полиптиха, что потребовало новых конструктивных решений и композиционных подходов. Автор статьи анализирует эти решения, роль нарративных элементов в алтарных полиптихах второй половины треченто и задаётся вопросом о причинах появления новых решений.

Juan Martínez Montañés was one of the most important sculptors and altarpiece architects of the Spanish Golden Age. The restoration of the Santa Clara church in Seville has presented a unique opportunity to study the main altarpiece, crafted by Montañés between 1621 and 1623. He was also in charge of the polychromy and gilding, believing that delegating these procedures to others would diminish the quality of his work. This conviction led to a well-known lawsuit with the renowned contemporary Spanish painter Francisco Pacheco. Ultimately, the painter and sculptor Baltasar Quintero performed the polychromy of this altarpiece, but under the strict conditions of Montañés. Various non-invasive analytical techniques, such as CT, UVF, XRF, and digital microscopy, were employed to study wood treatment and polychromy. Additionally, three samples were prepared as cross-sections and analysed by SEM-EDX. The results revealed Montañés' meticulous woodwork, anticipating its long-term preservation. Consistent with Montañés' commitment to maintaining the superior quality of his work, the analysis showed an absence of a ground layer in the flesh areas, while the gilding was executed with high-quality gold. The pigment palette corresponds to the treaties and documents of his time, and the extensive areas of later retouches were accurately located. These new data provide a deeper understanding of both the technique and the high standards of one of the most important and globally recognised sculptors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a multidisciplinary study on a typology of altarpiece that predominated in the Canary Islands during the 18th century: the laminated altarpiece. Three examples preserved in churches in Icod de los Vinos, in Tenerife, are analyzed, and this typology is linked to the local painter Cristóbal Afonso. In addition to the structural characteristics, the deterioration that these works usually show today is analyzed. The study seeks to better understand this typology and its development in other locations in Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera, and Fuerteventura. [Extracted from the article]

This paper constitutes an encompassing account of the Madonna of Orsanmichele in all its historical instances. As source of the first miracle ever recorded in the city-state of Florence, in 1292, the Orsanmichele Madonna generated a cult that lasted centuries. Considering the extravagant artistic commissions on the site of the granary-turned-church, Orsanmichele became a place of religious worship, and, more importantly, grown into being equated with the political and spiritual identity of Florence. The panel by Bernando Daddi and the tabernacle designed by Andrea Orcagna have generated, I argue, a parallel cult – one revering the exquisite artistic draughtsman ship of the painting and that of its monumental shrine. In this paper I aim to present the dialogue between the Marian cult located at Orsanmichele, starting in the thirteenth century, and the artistic patronage prompted by the popularity of the miracle-making image of the Virgin. My study represents a critical re-visitation of the prominent book by Megan Holmes, The Miraculous Image in Renaissance Florence, published in 2013.

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Copyright of Revista de Expresión Gráfica en la Edificación is the property of Universidad Politecnica de Valencia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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This essay seeks to shift our perspective when addressing the question of the impact of the Council of Trent on art. Rather than focusing on the artistic treatises that emerged in the wake of the council, it turns to a different type of text: the records from visitations, regular church inspections that functioned as an important tool of Catholic reform. This analysis looks at apostolic visitation records in the Vatican archives between 1564 and 1630 to show how ecclesiastical visitors chiefly judged image decorum—and the definition of images themselves—according to function instead of form, giving priority to issues related to ritual use, such as conservation, consecration, and location. The functional definition of terms such as altarpiece and icona in the visitation records also reminds us to carefully consider the art historical vocabulary used in scholarship today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article seeks to add to our understanding of one of the principal characters in the life of John Keats. Joseph Severn accompanied Keats to Rome and was at his bedside when the poet died. Research for the essay began with the discovery of a painting in 1993. The Infant of the Apocalypse Caught up to Heaven occupied ten years of Severn's life. Its star-crossed history provides an intriguing narrative, epitomising the irreverence towards Severn's stature as an artist. This altarpiece in the Papal Basilica of St Paul outside the Walls, and many other acclaimed paintings by Severn displayed in galleries worldwide, challenge the received wisdom that Severn's fame resulted entirely from his relationship with Keats. Finding the missing painting in Rome thirty years ago initiated this essay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Atrio: Revista de Historia del Arte is the property of Atrio. Revista de Historia del Arte - Universidad Pablo de Olavide and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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Many of Caravaggio's late istoria altarpieces differ from what is commonly called Caravaggism (the artist's pictorial mode during his Roman period) strongly enough that together the paintings form a distinctive approach to istoria that requires its own term: Dark Caravaggism. This paper identifies and analyzes this second Caravaggism, a pictorial mode as innovative as the first, but one that has been neglected in the literature. In the Resurrection of Lazarus, Burial of St. Lucy , and other works including the Death of the Virgin and Beheading of St. John , Caravaggio extends narrative moments in even muted palettes, stilled movement, and cavernous spaces. These paintings command the viewer's attention by employing the eye's physiological process of dark adaption in which the eye adjusts over time to dim light conditions. Eschewing Early Caravaggism's instantaneity and fragmented tenebrism, Dark Caravaggism asks the viewer for quiet meditation rather than frantic search. If not for the artist's untimely death at age 38, late Caravaggism likely would have produced a second revolution in European painting on par with the first. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1544, two secondary artists from the archbishopric of Toledo commissioned Juan de Juni to create the main images for the altarpiece in the small town of Renera (Guadalajara). The commission allows the catalog of the Frenchman to be expanded in his early years in Valladolid and, above all, to relate him to Alonso Berruguete and to the sculpture focus of Toledo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Patroni Regni Svecie – The Patron Saints of SwedenThis article presents the Swedish “national” patron saints – patroni regni svecie – as they emerged in liturgy and art from the latter part of the 14th century onwards. The author follows their development from the first written evidence in 1371 when they were first considered as a group, then consisting of SS. Erik, Sigfrid, Henrik and Eskil – all from the missionary period. By 1396, four more saints had already been added, SS. Botvid, David, Elin (Helena) and Birgitta. Each of them represented one of Sweden’s seven dioceses (the diocese of Strängnäs had two, Eskil and Botvid). St Olof was not officially one of the Swedish patron saints, but occurs frequently among them in altarpieces and mural paintings: in fact, the Norwegian national saint had had a dominant position in Sweden since the 12th century. In the middle of the 15th century the patron saints were still celebrated separately, each in their city and on their special day. But in 1474 an important decision was made at a council in Arboga: the introduction of a shared celebration for all the patron saints, Festum Patronorum Regni Sueciae. This evidently led to a large increase in the number of images of them: the article traces this development, and considers for instance local preferences and differences between the dioceses. A special rhythmical office was written for the new feast, in which St Ansgar, the first missionary in Sweden, was included among the patroni regni svecie. Special attention is given to the image of St Ansgar, the “apostle of the North”, whose portrait is strangely uncommon in Sweden, and the author gives several examples of images that in fact may be interpreted as St Ansgar. At the end of the 15th century, St Katarina of Vadstena and Bishop Brynolf of Skara were added to the patroni.

This paper discusses how interpretation of an artwork can contribute to intensifying heritage tourism experiences, based on an examination of the altarpiece of the former convent of Santo António do Carmo of Olinda, which was designed to promote Catholic triumphalism. The objective is to present the first level of artwork interpretation and highlight the importance of disseminating information about works of art, thereby providing a fuller understanding of their potential role in enhancing heritage tourism’s value. This qualitative, exploratory study included on-site visits and documentary research on the altar’s interpretation. The results suggest that interpretation about artistic objects is important, including key elements such as artistic movements (i.e. chronology), materials used, functions, artwork commissions, artistic affiliations and a brief corresponding description. The findings support the conclusion that interpretation makes tourist attractions more appealing and contributes to tourism development, as well as promoting interest in heritage and strengthening its value.

El aprecio que se tuvo por los tejidos islámicos desde el Medievo es patente en la pintura religiosa. A través de estas líneas se analiza la pervivencia de motivos ornamentales en el Renacimiento, en concreto, el uso de letras árabes a partir del estudio de tres escenas de las puertas del retablo mayor de la catedral de Valencia pintadas por los Hernandos. En ellas los maestros copiaron un tejido nazarí con una inscripción cuya traducción ha pasado inadvertida hasta este momento y que plantea distintas hipótesis sobre su utilización en la obra. The appreciation of Islamic textiles since the Middle Ages is evident in religious painting. The aim of this paper is to analyze the survival of ornamental motifs in the Renaissance, specifically, the use of Arabic letters from the study of three scenes of the doors of the main altarpiece of the cathedral of Valencia painted by the Hernandos. In them the Masters copied a Nasrid fabric with an inscription whose translation has gone unnoticed until now and that raises different hypotheses about its use in this masterpiece.

The lack of thorough studies of the significant number of examples of applied brocade found in the last two decades in Spain, originated in 2009 a European PhD thesis with Honours. This investigation presents an analysis and classification of the patterns, making procedures and combinations of materials of the applied brocades of the wooden altarpieces of the Basque province of Gipuzkoa, Northern Spain. Further studies have focused on the use of other analytical techniques that have completed the previous results and more recently, are being examined patterns of applied brocades belonging to the altarpieces sited in the other two provinces of the Basque Country.

In the scope of a joint research project by the University and the Museum of Art and History of Fribourg dedicated to the study of local sculpture production in the 16th century, up to 460 altarpieces, reliefs and single sculptures have been examined by a research group. On behalf of chosen examples, the article describes the methods and techniques used by medieval sculptors and painters to imitate textile. It also submits evidence of the phenomenon of applied decorations in relief made of stamped paper found sporadically within the examined corpus alongside with the traditional applied brocade made of tin foil.

The Scottish architect John Ninian Comper (1864-1960) designed two alabaster altarpieces - one for the Lindsey Chapel in Boston and the other for the St Sebastian Chapel at Downside Abbey - in the aftermath of the Great War. This article contends that in both cases, the use of alabaster as well as the homosocial and homoerotic charge of the altarpieces' subjects are both visually and theologically queer. The figure of St Sebastian, which in the Downside altarpiece has links to Oscar Wilde and Renaissance art in the National Gallery, as well as the 36 female saints in the Lindsey Chapel, express and invite queer desire while simultaneously inspiring devotion in the context of the Eucharist. By interlacing theological and art historical perspectives, Comper's work in these two contexts is illuminated afresh both within and beyond the zones of transatlantic twentieth-century Anglo-Catholicism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 18 October 1483, and as a testamentary wish, Juan de Antezana and his wife, Isabel de Guzmán, founded a hospital in Alcalá de Henares to provide free care to the sick without resources. To do so, they conceded their own houses, located on the main street of the town, where the hospital still stands. The future Saint Ignatius of Loyola resided at the hospital between 1526 and 1527, taking care of the sick people there. However, his time in Alcalá de Henares was not easy, as he was pursued by the Spanish Inquisition and even imprisoned. In 1527, the Jesuit saint left Alcalá de Henares to move to Salamanca and Paris. In 1622, Pope Gregory XV canonised Ignatius of Loyola, along with Philip Neri, Teresa of Ávila and Isidore the Farmer. In the mid-seventeenth century, and to commemorate the canonisation, the directors of the Antezana Hospital decided to convert the room that the saint occupied during his stay into a chapel in his honour, commissioning an elegant gilded wooden altarpiece, in the middle of which Diego González de Vega made a magnificent portrait of the saint in 1669. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The integrated safeguard plan has as main objective to develop a multidisciplinary approach on the preservation of altarpieces integrated in chapels, located in Alentejo. This project conjugates historical-artistic and technical-material research as a way to establish strategies of preventive conservation and communication of the patrimonial values of these temples. Since information accessibility is the key for a proficient communication plan, we present a reflection about the benefits of an interdisciplinary study and how that information can be applied into promoting the heritage's valuing and preservation. The historical and artistic valuing of the religious buildings, must consider their functional reality, because the integrated heritage is directly related with the utilization of that space. Concerning the tangible-intangible duality that characterizes religious buildings, we intend to analyse how the influence of their religious functions has determined (or not) the preservation of the artistic pieces which are inside them

A remarkable painted altarpiece in the Hamburger Kunsthalle serves as a valuable visual source for the character of devotion to St Thomas Becket in a 15th-century Hanseatic city. Commissioned from the artist Meister Francke by a guild of merchants known as the Englandfahrer, the altarpiece includes four panels depicting a narrative of St Thomas, of which two survive and two are known from an 18th-century engraving. One scene, unique among images of Becket, has previously been identified as an image of Louis VII's pilgrimage, but is here identified as a posthumous appearance by St Thomas in a shipping port. These four scenes should not be viewed as a neutral re-narration of the saint's written vitae, but rather as a set of images that link the saint to the contemporary concerns of the guild of merchants who commissioned the altarpiece. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Philostrato is the property of Epiarte, S.L. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)