GALLEGO, Fernando

One of the greatest of the Castilian painters to adopt the Hispano-Flemish style was Fernando Gallego, who was active, mainly in Salamanca, approximately between 1466 and 1506. There are certain resemblances between Gallego’s paintings and those of Dirk Bouts, although the former’s types are decidedly Spanish. Gallego was primarily interested in achieving a convincing representation of space, arranging his figures with a certain freedom, though still with Gothic angularity. He had that sculptural conception of form that leads to close and intensive modeling and that has long been one of the hallmarks of Spanish painting.

This altarpiece was originally in the St Thomas Monastery in �vila. On the right of the Madonna King Ferdinand V is kneeling at the feet of his patron St Thomas. Beside the King the Infant Don Juan, behind them the Chief Inquisitor can be seen. In the opposite group Queen Isabelle is adoring the Madonna with her patron saint, St Dominic.

The attribution of this painting is debated. Recently it is assumed that it was created by a follower of Gallego.

The composition of this painting shows a strong influence of Flemish painting especially of Rogier van der Weyden. It is visible particularly in the rigid pose of Christ’s body and the sorrowful expression of the Virgin, and in the landscape with its carefully depicted town. There is no perspective in the background but the buildings symbolizing Jerusalem are very realistic. The fantastic rock formations and minute donors are not specifically Netherlandish but typical of altarpieces all over Europe in the Late Middle Ages.

Gallego reveals his potent expressiveness in this panel.