Title

Altarpiece. The Life of the Virgin

Vázquez, Antonio [attributed to] (¿Ávila?, 1485 - ?, 1563)

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Object history

In 2016, Sotheby’s auctioned thisset of nine panels—part of a dispersed Castilian altarpiece—as Lot 705. Isabel Mateo Gómez was the one who noted the resemblance of these paintings to the work of the painter Antonio Vázquez, who was active in the Diocese of Palencia, to which a large part of the current province of Valladolid belonged at that time. This attribution was made possible through a stylistic comparison with the artist’s body of work (Brasas, 1985), specifically with the panels from the altarpiece at the Convent of Las Huelgas Reales (Valladolid). However, neither the auction catalog nor the institution that now houses the piece lists its original provenance.

Brasas Egido, a specialist in the work of Antonio Vázquez, revealed in 1985 several works by the painter that had disappeared and that he had discovered thanks to old photographs from the Burgos Photo Club Archive, preserved at the Provincial Council of Burgos. In fact, one of these photographs showed this altarpiece dedicated to the Virgin,“composed of nine panels distributed among the base, two sections, and the attic”(Brasas, 1985). The ensemble originated from the church of the Santa Clara Convent in Calabazanos (Palencia), located in the municipality of Villamuriel de Cerrato (Palencia).

Egido Brasas had only been able to access photographs of the altarpiece but did not know its whereabouts. We do not know how it left the convent; perhaps it was due to the shift in taste that occurred in the 17th and 18th centuries, when the old altarpieces were replaced by new ones more in keeping with the fashion of the time (Urrea, 2000). In fact, around 1729, a main altarpiece and two side altarpieces, funded by the nuns themselves, were installed in the church (Gómez and Sancho, 2009). Similarly, there were works by Vázquez himself that were used to“enhance the paintings on two side altars”in the parish church of Villabáñez (Valladolid), and“there is suspicion that more paintings exist behind the other canvases on those altars”(Martín González, 1981). Furthermore, although the convent was spared the effects of the French invasion, it did witness the confiscation of its assets as a result of the confiscation laws. 

Moving forward in time, throughout the 20th century, the assets of Villamuriel de Cerrato were the subject of various sales. Due to a shortage of resources, the nuns of Calabazanos began selling off some of the convent’s coffered ceilings and artifacts in 1929 (Gómez and Sancho, 2009), such as thePolyptych of the Life of Saint Clare, now housed in the Frederic Marès Museum (Barcelona),“three Flemish tapestries depicting the Apocalypse,” and“a very valuable Andalusian-style carved relief,” which was sold in 1931 (Navarro, 1946). Likewise, according to the Monumental Catalog of the province of Palencia, the cloister at that time housed“an altarpiece of Flemish panels, another Renaissance altarpiece, three coffered ceilings—one Gothic, another Mudejar, and another Renaissance”(Navarro, 1946). After the publication of the Monumental Catalog, the antique dealer Arcadio Torres offered to purchase some works of art from Villamuriel through the town’s parish priest. For example, on March 23, 1950, the parish priest requested authorization from the bishop of Palencia to dispose of some unused objects, for which they obtained the necessary permission:“We authorize the petitioning priest to transfer said objects to the antique dealer Mr. Arcadio Torres for the price of 2,000 pesetas and a new cabinet for the use of the same parish”(Diocesan Archive of Palencia, Book 58, 1563, March 23, 1950). A few days later, the bishopric considered a request from the same parish treasurer of Villamuriel de Cerrato,“regarding the sale of three altarpieces, the proceeds of which would be used to fund necessary repairs to the parish church and rectory” —the bishop’s office asked him for more details about the altarpiece he wished to sell at that time—:“We hereby direct that the priest himself specify below, in detail, which of the altarpieces in his church he is currently interested in selling so that the proceeds may be used to cover the costs of the interior repairs to the church, which are considered necessary and urgent. José Ob.” (Diocesan Archive of Palencia, Book 58, 1638. Villamuriel de Cerrato). Thus, it appears that at that time, the sale of various works in that municipality was being negotiated, and that Arcadio Torres (Martínez Ruiz, 2021) was making offers to church officials to acquire these pieces. 

In any case, on April 27, 2016, at its London location, Sotheby’s auctioned off this collection. Although its value was initially estimated at 50,000–80,000 pounds, it ultimately fetched 90,000 pounds. It was acquired by theSoumaya Museum in Mexico, where it is currently housed.

Description

The altarpiece is dedicated to the life of the Virgin and consists of nine panels, three in each section. On the lower section of the altarpiece, the paintings are landscape-oriented: in the center is a depiction of the Lamentation over the Dead Christ, while on the sides are two pairs of saints accompanying a male figure (St. Peter and St. Paul) and a female figure (St. James and St. Andrew), who are likely the donors. The convent was under the patronage of the Manrique family, so these may well be members of that lineage. The first section of the altarpiece depicts three scenes: the Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple; Saint Anne, the Virgin, and the Child; and the Embrace at the Golden Gate. As for the second section, on the sides are Saint Francis at the moment of the Stigmatization and Saint Jerome as a penitent, while in the center is the Crucifixion of Christ, flanked by the Virgin and Saint John. 

Brasas Egido (1985) dated the altarpiece to around 1540 due to the Renaissance character of the paintings. Its style is reminiscent of other works by Antonio Vázquez, such as the panels at Las Huelgas, those at Castrillo de Tejeriego, and those at the National Museum of Sculpture ( Valladolid). In addition to the paintings, the Plateresque design of the ensemble is striking; it may be the work of the woodcarver Gaspar de Tordesillas, with whom Vázquez often collaborated (Urrea, 1974).

Locations

• ca. 1540

  monastery

  Monastery of Santa Clara de Calabazanos, Villamuriel de Cerrato, Villamuriel de Cerrato (Spain)

• ca. 2016

  auction house

  Sotheby's, Nueva York / Londres

• ca. 2016 - present

  museum

  Soumaya Museum, Mexico, Ciudad de México (Mexico)