The Romanesque Altar

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. These mural paintings were made during the second quarter of the 12th century.

The Master of Osormort was also the author of these paintings, and most likely he had his workshop in the city of Vic, under the protection of the Cathedral. Although the church of Sant Martí de El Brull was consecrated in 1062, these mural paintings correspond to the second quarter of the 12th century.

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.

This altar frontal is centred upon the figure of Christ Pantocrator, blessing with his right hand and with the book with the monogram IHS in his left hand. He is surrounded by the symbols of the Tetramorph – Saints Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

From the second half of the 12th century, the cult of the Virgin Mary became very popular all over Catalonia, thanks in large part to the Marian devotion promoted by the Cistercian monks. This frontal comes from the sanctuary of Santa Maria in El Coll in Osor, Girona.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This image comes from the old church of Santa Maria of La Rodona, demolished in 1781. The Virgin is portrayed as a Basilissa of the Byzantine court with a mantle decorated with an edge of precious stones covering her head, on top of which she must have worn the crown.

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.

Although the Virgin of Veciana still corresponds to the traditional iconographical model of the 12th century Virgins, it is a carving that already incorporates the new airs of the Italo-Byzantine style. The Virgin no longer has the Child sitting in the middle of her lap, but he has been moved to her knee, initiating a more maternal relationship with regard to her son.

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.

This Christ in Majesty is dressed with the long-sleeved 'manicata' tunic, and bears a close resemblance to the famous Batlló Christ in Majesty, in the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, and the Beget Christ in Majesty, conserved in situ.