Mev Essentials: Must-See Highlights
20 artworks you can't miss of the medieval art collections if you are short of time
Altarpiece from Verdú (1425/1450) by Jaume Ferrer IIMev, Museu d'Art Medieval
The Mev houses a magnificent collection of medieval art, with masterpieces of painting, sculpture and weaving from the Catalan Romanesque and Gothic periods. Don't miss these 20 must-see masterpieces.
1. Reliefs from the Cathedral of Vic
These five reliefs, which were part of the ancient Romanesque cathedral of Vic, represent the winged lion, symbol of the Evangelist Mark; the angel, symbol of the Evangelist Matthew; the Agnus Dei; Christ conferring primacy on St Peter; and the Resurrection of Tabitha.
2. The Descent from the Cross from Erill la Vall
It is one of the most important ensembles of 12th century European Romanesque woodcarving, given its exceptional artistic quality and the fact that not too many monumental woodcarvings of this size have been conserved.
3. Baldachin from Ribes
The style of this baldachin corresponds to the Romanesque geometric current, whose greatest exponent was the Master of Sant Climent in Taüll. Because of its balanced formal composition it is considered to be the masterpiece of Catalan Romanesque panel painting.
4. Altar frontal from Sant Martí in Puigbò
This altar frontal corresponds to the Romanesque geometric style developed in Catalonia during the first half of the 12th century. It seems that the painter of this frontal followed, in the case of the figure of Christ the Saviour, the model established by the master of the baldachin from Ribes, although the figures correspond to a more popular artistic tradition.
5. Mural paintings from the apse of Sant Sadurní in Osormort
The painter of this mural group is known by the name of the Master of Osormort. His paintings are characterized by the expressions on the faces of the figures, with very large eyes and a penetrating gaze. The presentation of the new museum building has for the first time enabled us to exhibit all the fragments of the mural paintings from the apse of Sant Sadurní in Osormort.
6. Altar frontal from Santa Margarida in Vila-seca
The presence of this altarpiece at an exhibition in 1868 marked the beginning of the rediscovery and revaluation of Catalan Romanesque painting. It was originally from the church of the convent of Santa Margarida de ViIlaseca and certainly brought to Vic in the 14th century.
7. Christ in Majesty from Santa Maria in Lluçà
The figure of Christ appears dressed in the blue tunic, his eyes open with a serene expression, out of his suffering, typical of the iconography of Christ in Majesty developed in Catalonia from the second half of the 12th century onwards.
8. Virgin from Santa Maria in Matamala
In order to do this sculpture, the maker followed the model of the Holy Image of the Virgin of Montserrat, with which it has numerous parallels, although it is smaller in size than the former. They are both in the Romanesque style typical of the Vic workshops of the end of the 12th century.
9. Altar from Santa Maria in Lluçà
The Italo-Byzantine movement that arrived in Catalonia around the year 1200 was developed in this country until the mid-13th century, and has in the altar from Lluçà the most significant example of the last period of this style. On this altar appears a new iconographic scene: The Coronation of the Virgin.
10. Altar side panels
These two side panels from a church in the Ribes Valley are the work of this painter, characterised by the use of backgrounds of very bright colours, generally reds, yellows and greens, on which he draws the figures heavily outlined in black.
11. Altarpiece of the Passion, Death, Resurrection and Ascension of Christ
This exceptional altarpiece from the Bernat Saulet workshop stands out in the field of Gothic sculpture. The twenty scenes of the altarpiece develop the narrative of the main episodes in the life of Jesus between the liturgical feasts of Palm Sunday and the Ascension.
12. Virgin of Boixadors
This Virgin is a magnificent example of Marian iconography in the Gothic period: while the Romanesque Virgins are usually seated, enthroned figures, characterised by their majestic air, the Gothic Virgins are figures that stress the humanity of the Mother and Son, yet without renouncing the theological symbolism.
13. Compartment from an altarpiece with the Virgin and the Child and angel musicians
Jaume Cabrera was a conservative painter for his time, perhaps the last representative of that vanished artistic world of the 1300s, which in his case was characterised by the creation of very balanced, harmonious compositions and a very calm narrative atmosphere.
14. Altarpiece from Guimerà
From the early International Gothic period, this magnificent altarpiece from Guimerà, by Ramon de Mur, stands out. This movement introduced a new naturalistic aesthetic based on the dynamism and movement of the figures, and the use of very vivid and contrasting coloured pigments.
15. Altarpiece dedicated to Saint Francis
This large altarpiece is the most important work conserved by the artist and has been unanimously considered one of the masterpieces of European painting in the early International Gothic style.
16. Compartments from an altarpiece
Bernat Martorell's work illustrates the arrival and influence of Flemish models in Catalan painting of the Second International Gothic. Its main novelty is the introduction of a more serene, harmonious and balanced atmosphere as well as characters with individual psychological traits.
17. Altarpiece from Verdú
This altarpiece is a work from Jaume Ferrer's early years, in which we can already observe the characteristic traits of the new period, especially as regards the detail with which the exterior landscapes in the backgrounds of the panels are described, and the meticulousness and richness of the interior scenes.
18. Holy Face
The series of panels from the Gascó workshop is an eloquent testimony to the evolution of Catalan painting during the first half of the 16th century. The treatment of the face and the radial design of the halo direct the viewer's gaze towards the eyes of Christ, where all the expressive force of the image rests.
18. Altar frontal called the 'Witches' Cloth'
The 'Witches' Cloth' or 'Witches Canopy' is an Andalusian fabric which, according to tradition, was used as an altar frontal. It is part of a group of Andalusian fabrics from the 11th and 12th centuries, characterized by being made with the same technique, the same colours and same decoration of alternating bands of animals facing each other.
19. Cope of Ramon de Bellera, Bishop of Vic
The cope of Ramon de Bellera, bishop of Vic from 1352 to 1377, was left to the Cathedral by the bishop on his death. The cape was made between 1350 and 1370, a time of strong expressiveness in depictions, and has an iconographical programme invoking the Church.
20. Frontal of the Epiphany
The embroidery of the central composition of the frontal is one of the best preserved in Catalonia corresponding to the Flemish style of needle painting. The refinement and perfection of the execution are great.
MEV, Museu d'art medieval
