Christ Appearing to the Virgin

Frei Carlos’ Flemish origin is particularly evident in this altarpiece panel. The figures move with the calm, smooth gentleness characteristic of the compositions of the great Flemish masters from the fifteenth century; the bipartite space of the representation repeats models with an identical provenance; and the forms and all the details are treated with great preciousness and brightness. Christ appearing to the Virgin, before the Ascension, accompanied by a procession of Patriarchs from the Old Testament (Adam and Eve, Abraham and others), who have just emerged from Limbo. The painting is also a hymn to the figure of the Virgin Mary as the New Eve, the one that will rescue humankind from original sin.