5 - Lorenzo Mercadante of Brittany (active in Andalusia, second half of the 15th century) and workshop

Lorenzo Mercadante of Brittany (active in Andalusia, second half of the 15th century) and workshop "Madonna and Child" Alabaster figure. Late 15th century. 52 x 20.5 x 17 cm. Gothic sculpture made of alabaster depicting the crowned Virgin holding her Child in her arms. The work was produced in the vicinity of Seville, near the workshops of Lorenzo Mercadante de Bretaña, an artist who, as Dr. Jesús Rojas-Marcos states, “stands out for the deliberate humanization of his figures, whose faces exude a marked and eloquent expressiveness,” and who, “in terms of clothing, carefully crafts the angular folds in the style of the Van Eycks,” features which “he conveys both in the carving of alabaster [as is the case here] and in the modeling of clay.” These characteristics are clearly evident in the alabaster piece presented here for auction, with special emphasis on the folds of the Virgin’s garments. This artist is as important to the history of Spanish art as little is known about his life. “Despite the significance of his figure,” the scholar continues, “Mercadante’s biography remains, in many respects, a true enigma. It is known that he came from France, as he revealed his Breton origin in the only signed work known to date,” the Tomb of Cardinal Juan de Cervantes in Seville Cathedral. In addition to this sculpture, the interior of Seville Cathedral houses the master’s other documented work, the group depicting the “Virgin of the Strawberry Tree,” both carved in alabaster. Several other works have been attributed to this small but significant body of work, including the statues on the portals of the Nativity and the Baptism in Seville Cathedral. Indeed, in Andalusia, Mercadante’s figure was of particular importance, since “in Andalusia, despite the existence of earlier Christian works, sculpture did not truly begin until the 15th century. In Seville, artistic efforts were focused on the construction of its immense Gothic cathedral. The arrival of Mercadante de Bretaña in the Andalusian capital in the middle of the century, to work in the service of the metropolitan church, marked the beginning of a new period. His work brought about a stylistic shift, moving away from the Flemish style to adopt a distinctly Burgundian character. Indeed, this exceptional master knew how to combine the art of Flanders with that of Burgundy, serving as a bridge between the French courtly style and the expressive northern spiritualism. And he, as head of the school, was followed by the first local sculptors, who would flourish at the end of the 15th and the beginning of the 16th century.” For further information on “his brief biographical profile, his sculptural poetics, and his most celebrated creations,” we strongly recommend reading Dr. Jesús Rojas-Marcos González’s work *Mercadante de Bretaña. El enigma de su personalidad escultórica* (Mercadante de Bretaña: The Enigma of His Sculptural Personality), published as part of the lecture series on this artist entitled “Mercadante de Bretaña y las esculturas de la catedral de Sevilla” (Mercadante de Bretaña and the Sculptures of Seville Cathedral), held in 2023 in the Carlos III Hall of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Saint Isabel of Hungary in Seville. The scholar concludes this study—from which all quotations in this catalog entry are taken—“by emphasizing the exceptional significance that Mercadante holds for Sevillian art. On the one hand, as the first documented sculptor in the city of the Giralda in the 15th century; on the other, for introducing, through his masterful works, an advanced and innovative style representing the artistic vanguard of the North during the middle of that century; and finally, because such an eminent creator thus became the forerunner of the Sevillian school of sculpture, whose captivating personality would take shape a century after the Breton master’s passing.” Bibliography: - Rojas-Marcos González, Jesús. (2023). “Mercadante de Bretaña: The Enigma of His Sculptural Personality.” Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Seville.