Francisco Giralte workshop (Palencia?, Spain, circa 1510 - Madrid, 1576) - Francisco Giralte workshop (Palencia?, Spain, circa 1510 - Madrid, 1576)
"The Evangelists Saint Mark and Saint Matthew".
Pair of reliefs in walnut wood, carved, polychromed and gilded. Second third of the 16th century.
60 x 26 x 5,5 cm each one.
The reliefs of the Evangelists Saint Mark and Saint Matthew that we present here are two masterpieces both for their plastic quality and for the rich upholstery based polychromy with which the anonymous painter infused them with life. In addition to the purely aesthetic value of both pieces, we must also add the fact that they are paradigmatic works, and perfect examples of the Castilian Renaissance, in which characteristic elements such as the "draperies", cut-out leathers, masks and bucklers can be seen. It is probable that originally both Evangelists formed part of a complete group together with Saint John and Saint Luke, and that they all belonged to an altarpiece, in which they would have been arranged on the bench or in the attic, thus giving greater airiness to the group as a whole.
Both saints are depicted in very moving poses that make the composition more dynamic, with their feet or knees on a small podium decorated on the front with fine plant decorations with candelieri motifs. In turn, both are placed on a circular platform decorated on the lower part with bucklers with draperies in the case of Saint Matthew, and a kind of shell held up by cut-out leather in the case of Saint Mark. Each of the Evangelists is accompanied by his own symbol: the Angel for St Matthew and the Lion for St Mark.
Saint Matthew is an older man with grey hair and a beard of the same color, with a nervous appearance and winding locks. His serious gesture is reminiscent of Michelangelo's grandiose and powerful style. The saint's age is perfectly reflected by the notorious softness and morbidity of his face, with wrinkled cheeks and forehead. He wears a golden tunic that is tight around his body, insinuating his forms, and a cloak that is draped over his head and falls diagonally across his body at chest level.
On the other hand, his feet are protected by simple sandals. The Angel who accompanies him is in a dynamic and acrobatic pose, with one of his legs noticeably forward and his arms raised to hold the book to the saint.On the other hand, Saint Mark is a slightly younger man, as is shown by the ochre tone of his hair and beard, which are shorter than those of his companion and made up of somewhat thicker and more compact locks. The face, with a broad forehead and sharp eyebrows, shows a gesture that denotes his inner strength, the eyes are large and painted in the wood itself, the nose is curved and the mouth is small and half-open. These and the rest of the facial features are meticulously carved and denote the hand of a highly skilled sculptor, as is also indicated by the anatomical verisimilitude with which the feet and hands have been carved and the skill with which the folds of the clothes have been conceived. Thus, he wears a tunic, an over tunic open in a "V" shape at the chest and a wide cloak that covers his back and is gathered at hip level on the left leg. At his side we find "his" Lion, with golden hair and beard, spreading his large wings as if to protect the Evangelist. On this occasion it is not his "symbol" that holds the Gospel, but the saint himself who holds it in his hands, pointing to the text with one of his fingers.
From their morphological features or stylistic characteristics, both pieces can be dated to the central third of the 16th century and assigned to the workshop of Francisco Giralte, if not to the master himself, given their high quality. Thus we can see the conception of both saints with a short, somewhat squat canon and with their bodies wrapped in cloaks. Both show beautiful rhythms achieved through the arrangement of the different parts of the body and also through the curves drawn by the folds of their garments. Giralte was a man with a refined technique in which he was capable of fusing the berruguetesque movement and expressiveness characteristic of Spanish sculpture at the time, with a search for beauty and plastic values.
We would like to thank Mr. Javier Baladrón, Ph.D. in Art History, for the identification and cataloguing of this relief.
Estim. 7,500 - 12,000 EUR
