Predella from the altarpiece in the church of Santa Maria in Rubió

Known by the name of the Master of Rubió, there is an anonymous Catalan painter heavily influenced by the Italianate Gothic style whose high altarpiece for the church of Santa Maria in Rubió is conserved in situ. The marked Italianate feel to his art has led us to think that he trained to begin with in Barcelona in the workshop of the brothers Serra, although the Master of Rubió has been related directly with the workshop of the painter Ramon Destorrents. The Master of Rubió seems to have moved to central Catalonia, probably to the city of Manresa, from where he did most of his work. The Rubió altarpiece conserved in the church is dedicated to the Virgin and on the dustcover has the coats of arms of the Boixadors family, lords of Rubió. On the predella conserved in the Museum there are six episodes from the Passion of Christ: the prayer in the orchard, the capture, Jesus before Caiaphas, the flagellation, Jesus on the road to Calvary and the Pietà. The style of the Master of Rubió is characterised by the production of very dynamic, balanced compositions and by the use of a very rich palette of colours that puts him close to the later International Gothic style. Also by the Master of Rubió the Museum conserves a predella from the parish church of Santpedor, with scenes from the life of Saints Cosmas and Damian, exhibited in the same room in the Museum.