Biography

The Master of the Balbases was an artist active in Burgos between 1480 and 1500. Although Post (1950) and Gudiol (1955) attributed some panels to him, it was Silva Maroto (1990) who analyzed in depth the figure of this painter. According to this researcher, one of the distinctive characteristics of the Master of Los Balbases is his treatment of human figures. The characters occupy a predominant position in the scene, above the landscape. In addition, the master carefully adapts their expressions and gestures to the action they perform. For this, he resorts to resources such as the modeling of the figures, the sensation of relief, the dark tone of the flesh and an intense light that envelops the characters. He also pays special attention to the folds of the clothing, to the point of turning it into the narrative thread. There are numerous works by the Master of the Balbases scattered in museums and collections. See, for example: the Altarpiece of St. Stephen (Church of St. Stephen, Burgos), the central panel of the Altarpiece of the Assumption of the Virgin (Museum of Fine Arts of Seville) or Santa Lucia (Cartuja de Miraflores, Burgos).

Bibliography

• GUDIOL RICART, José (1955): Pintura gótica (Ars Hispaniae, vol. IX), Editorial Plus-Ultra, Madrid.
• POST, Chandler Rathfon (1950): A History of Spanish Painting, vol. 10 (The Early Renaissance in Andalusia), Harvard University Press, Cambridge (Massachusetts), p. 338.
• SILVA MAROTO, María Pilar (1990): Pintura hispanoflamenca castellana: Burgos y Palencia. Obras en tabla y sarga, vol. I, Junta de Castilla y León, Valladolid, pp. 873-1007.