Title

Monstrance

Anónimo procedente de Castilla y León

Generic classification

Object

Date

Century

Cultural context / style

Material

Technique

Iconography / Theme

Provenance

Current location

Inventory Number in Current Collection

Inscriptions / Marks

Mark: "BVRGOS".

Object history

The trade performed by silversmiths was highly regulated due to the materials they worked with. To avoid alterations in the value of the metals used, it was decided to create a system capable of controlling the weight and quality of the gold and silver (Barrón, 2023). For this reason, around the 14th century punches began to appear more frequently, which assured the value of the piece. In addition to being a guarantee, these marks made it possible to know the locality in which the object had been made and, in many cases, the name of its maker. In this sense, the role played by the city of Burgos must be emphasized, since from very early dates there are records of the triple marking system that was later extended to the rest of Castile (Oman, 1968; Barrón, 2023).

Thanks to this system, it has been possible to identify a monstrance housed in the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm. This piece bears a mark of the city of Burgos that was used between 1501 and 1560 (Barrón, 1991). The punch is composed of the following elements: in the lower part appear the letters "BVRGOS"; in the middle there is a castle of a body without a turret, but with three battlements and, finishing the punch, a head crowned with a long mane. According to Barrón (1991) this seal is associated with the punch of the OO/FI markers, Bernardino de Nápoles and Juan de Horna. If we look at the decoration of the piece, we can see numerous elements from the late Gothic period. Thus, according to the punch and the decoration, we consider that the monstrance was made between 1501-1515.

It is unknown for whom the piece was made and where it may have been, but it seems plausible to think that it was destined for a church in Burgos or even for the cathedral itself. In 1970 it was bought by the Nationalmusei Vänner (friends of the museum) and since then it has been in the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm.

Description

The monstrance follows the patterns of the late gothic pieces. Its base contains vegetal elements, as well as saints: St. John the Baptist, St. Peter, St. Paul and St. Roque decorate the base of the monstrance. On the shaft the tracery of the gothic stained glass windows that give shape to the knot stand out. The monstrance follows the architectural forms of a religious building with pinnacles and buttresses. In the middle is the lunette in which the host would be deposited and finally, topping the piece, is the figure of Christ crucified.

Locations

• First quarter of the XVI^th c. - Early XX^th c.

  province

  Burgos, Burgos (Spain)

• 1970 - present

  museum

  Nationalmuseum, Estocolmo (Sweden)