The ''Saint Augustine Altarpiece'' is a

Catalan Gothic Catalan Gothic is an artistic style, with particular characteristics in the field of architecture. It occurred under the Crown of Aragon between the 13th and 15th centuries, which places it at the end of the European Gothic period and at the begin ...

painting in

egg tempera Tempera (), also known as egg tempera, is a permanent, fast-drying painting medium consisting of colored pigments mixed with a water-soluble binder medium, usually glutinous material such as egg yolk. Tempera also refers to the paintings done ...

Jaume Huguet Jaume Huguet (; 1412–1492) was a Catalan painter. Originally from Valls, he moved to Tarragona to stay with his uncle Pere Huguet, who was also a painter. When they moved to Barcelona he was exposed to modern trends of the time. Between 1440 ...

and Pau Vergós made between 1462 and 1475. The long duration of the work was caused by financial reasons, and it is assumed that work was begun by Huguet and finished by other members of his workshop, in particular Pau Vergós. The altarpiece was commissioned by the guild of tanners to be placed on the altar of the

Augustinian Augustinian may refer to: *Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine *Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs *Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo * Canons Regular of Sain ...

friary of Sant Agustí Vell ("Old St Augustine") in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

, Spain. The panel measures 250 × 193 × 9.5 cm and has been in the

Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya The Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (, English: "National Art Museum of Catalonia"), abbreviated as MNAC, is a museum of Catalan visual art located in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Situated on Montjuïc hill at the end of Avinguda de la Reina M ...

(MNAC) in Barcelona since 1927.Artwork at MNAC Website
/ref> Comparisons with similar works that survive complete suggest that there were originally several more panels than the eight that now survive, seven in the MNAC and one in the Museu Marès, also in Barcelona. They would have been framed in an elaborate gilt wooden setting as a

retable A retable is a structure or element placed either on or immediately behind and above the altar or communion table of a church. At the minimum it may be a simple shelf for candles behind an altar, but it can also be a large and elaborate structur ...

behind the main altar. The grandeur of the work makes it the most important painting of the fifteenth century in

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the nort ...

Description

In 1463 the Guild of Tanners commissioned an altarpiece from Jaume Huguet for the high altar in the church of Sant Agustí Vell in Barcelona. The unusual size of the piece, one of the largest in Catalan Gothic painting, and the crisis the country was going through at the time, delayed completion of the altarpiece until 1486 and involved several members of the Huguet workshop, and in particular a member of the Vergós family. Eight panels from this altarpiece are preserved, seven at the MNAC and another at the Museu Marès. The quality of the composition and the pictorial technique of the 'Consecration of Saint Augustine' suggest it can be considered the personal work of the great master. Typically for Catalan painting at this date, which was conservative by Italian standards, the panel still has a " gold ground" background, decorated in textile-like patterns of ''

pastiglia ''Pastiglia'' , an Italian term meaning "pastework", is low relief decoration, normally modelled in gesso or white lead, applied to build up a surface that may then be gilded or painted, or left plain. The technique was used in a variety of way ...

'' stucco relief, which is also used for the croziers and jewels on the

mitre The mitre (Commonwealth English) (; Greek: μίτρα, "headband" or "turban") or miter (American English; see spelling differences), is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of bishops and certain abbots in ...

s and

vestment Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religion, especially by Eastern Churches, Catholics (of all rites), Anglicans, and Lutherans. Many other groups also make use of liturgical garments; this ...

s of the figures. Saint

Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North A ...

, the dedicatee of the church, is shown being consecrated by several other bishops as Bishop of Hippo in Roman North Africa, which happened in 395, although the painting shows entirely contemporary styles of dress. The unvested figure reading a book in a ''chemise'' covering on the left is a donor portrait of one of the friars, probably the head of the community. Another friar's head, looking like a portrait, peeps out at the rear right.

History

The work on the altarpiece began on July 20, 1452 when the carpenter Macia Bonafé was given the contract to construct the retable. It was stipulated that the altarpiece was to rest on a stone base with doors on either side leading to the sacristy. Bonafé was also to create a figure of the Madonna, which was to rest in a

niche Niche may refer to: Science *Developmental niche, a concept for understanding the cultural context of child development *Ecological niche, a term describing the relational position of an organism's species *Niche differentiation, in ecology, the ...

, as well as the heraldic lions of the guild. On the same day Bonafé received his contract, the guildsmen engaged Luis Dalmau to begin working on painting as soon as the construction of the retable was finished. Dalmau ended up doing no actual work on the piece, for reasons unknown, and on December 4, 1463, the contract was given to Jaume Huguet. For payment, Huguet received one hundred and ten lliures on February 1 and July 1 of 1464, and was thereafter to draw fifty six lliures every Christmas until the full amount had been paid.Rowland (1932) The whole arrangement was very businesslike with very clear instructions on how Huguet was to proceed. He was first to paint the four panels of the

predella In art a predella (plural predelle) is the lowest part of an altarpiece, sometimes forming a platform or step, and the painting or sculpture along it, at the bottom of an altarpiece, sometimes with a single much larger main scene above, but oft ...

with scenes from the Passion as conceived in a sketch that he had presented to the guild, and this portion was to be completed by Christmas, 1466. Huguet was also tasked with painting the figures of saints on the sacristy doors, coloring the statues, and painting the heraldic lions. Before he was allowed to begin any painting, he had to present drawings for the approval of the guild and two painters, one chosen by the guild and the other chosen by Huguet. With the expectation that much of the work would be done by assistants, as it was a very large undertaking, it was specified that Huguet himself would be responsible for painting the heads and hands. It is not until November 29, 1486 that the altarpiece is spoken of as being completed, twenty three years after Huguet was originally commissioned. The documents also show that Huguet was not paid as originally promised and did not receive his full sum until 1488, when he was still owed 200 lliures. The reasons for the delay are unknown, but there a couple conjectures as to what happened. One is that the Constable Dom Pedro arrived six weeks after the contract was drawn up and engaged Huguet to paint him a retable, which would have taken precedence over that of the guild. It could also be that the guild lost interest or had a lack of finances that temporarily halted the project.

Gallery

File:Vergós Group - Saint Augustine Disputing with the Heretics - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Saint Augustine Disputing with the Heretics'' by Vergós Group File:Vergós Group - Saint Augustine and Saint Monica in a Sermon by Saint Ambrose - Google Art Project.jpg , ''Saint Augustine and Saint Monica in a Sermon by Saint Ambrose'' by Vergós Group File:Vergós Group - Saint Augustine Meditates on the Trinity when the Child Jesus Appears before him - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Saint Augustine Meditates on the Trinity when the Child Jesus Appears before him'' by Vergós Group File:Jaume Huguet - Last Supper - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Last Supper'' by Jaume Huguet File:JaumeHuguet-Calvari-retauleSantAgusti-7358.jpg , ''Road to Calvary'' by Jaume Huguet File:JaumeHuguet-ConversioStAgusti-1.JPG, ''Conversion of Saint Augustine'' by Jaume Huguet File:JaumeHuguet-StAgusti-RentaPeus-1.JPG, ''Saint Augustine Washes the Feet of the Pilgrim Christ'' by Huguet

Notes

References

*Rowland, Benjamin (1932). Jaume Huguet: A Study of Late Gothic Painting in Catalonia, p. 102-114

External links