12 - Pere Mates (documented 1512–1558)

Pere Mates (documented 1512–1558) Predella of an altarpiece. Oil on wood. Girona, circa 1525. 43 x 144 cm. This is a previously unattributed predella of an altarpiece, which must clearly be attributed to Pere Mates, one of the best-known painters among those documented in Girona during the first half of the 16th century. It is divided into five compartments. The central compartment is wider than the others and depicts Christ, the Man of Sorrows, flanked by the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Evangelist, with the Arma Christi as a backdrop. The remaining compartments depict Saint Peter, Saint Sebastian, Saint Margaret, and Saint Christopher. The style of the painting leaves no room for doubt regarding its attribution to Mates, since the figures bear close resemblance to those in other works by the painter. This is the case with Saint Peter, who has exactly the same physical form as the same figure depicted on one of the panels of the Segueró altarpiece—now in the Museu d’Art de Girona—and on a predella from the former Anton Casamor collection. Saint Christopher is very similar to Saint Andrew in another panel of the aforementioned Segueró altarpiece. Saint Sebastian, here, is reminiscent of Saint Andrew from the central panel of the lost altarpiece of the church of Sant Andreu de Llorona. Another feature worth noting is the treatment of the nimbus, which is completely smooth and outlined in black, as in many of Mates’ paintings. Pere Mates was the most prominent painter of an important family of artists from Sant Feliu de Guíxols (Catalonia, Spain). He is first documented in 1512 and enjoyed a long and fruitful career until 1558, the year of his death. His workshop was highly active during the Renaissance in the lands of the Bishopric of Girona, producing works for the cathedral and the Church of Sant Nicolau in Girona, for the monasteries of Sant Pere de Rodes, Sant Llorenç del Mont, and Sant Pere de Cercada, and for parishes such as Roses, Vilablareix, Millars, Vilamarí, Verges, Segueró, and Montagut, among others. His works are housed in Girona Cathedral, in various churches throughout the province of Girona, in the Museu d’Art de Girona, and in private collections. We would like to thank Dr. Alberto Velasco González for identifying and cataloging this work. Provenance: France, private collection. Bibliography on the panels: The predella was previously unattributed. Bibliography on the painter (selected): - MIQUEL ÀNGEL ALARCIA, Pedro Matas, unpublished master’s thesis, Barcelona, Universitat de Barcelona, 1973. - JOAQUIM GARRIGA, “La geometria espacial de Pere Mates,” Annals de l’Institut d’Estudis Gironins, XXXIII, 1984, pp. 527–562. - JOAQUIM GARRIGA, “Pere Mates. c. 1490/1495–1558 (†),” in From Flanders to Italy. The Shift in Style in 16th-Century Catalan Painting: The Diocese of Girona, Girona, Girona Art Museum, 1998, pp. 205–206. - JOAN BOSCH AND FRANCESC MIRALPEIX (EDS.), Falsos verdaders. The Art of Deception, Girona, Girona Art Museum, 2019.