47 - 16th-century Catalan school

16th-century Catalan school The Immaculate Virgin with the Infant Jesus Oil on panel 180 x 130 cm This painting, of exceptional quality, serves as an artistic document attesting to a fundamental paradigm shift in Mediterranean painting—namely, the balance between two eras and two schools within Spanish art. It was created by a painter of the Spanish school—likely from the Catalan school—who was still influenced by the 15th-century Flemish tradition (as seen in the facial features and the gold background decorated like a tapestry), yet was already attuned to the monumentality of the Italian Renaissance. Its style is similar to that of Paolo di San Leocadio, an Emilian painter active in Spain, and his son Felipe Pablo de San Leocadio, as well as to that of other masters of the time active in the same artistic circle, such as Pere Mates, Pere Nunyes, and Joan de Borgonya, to name a few. Catalan school of the 16th century The Immaculate Madonna with the Christ Child Oil on panel 180 × 130 cm A painting of considerable quality, this work represents an important artistic document bearing witness to a pivotal transition in Mediterranean painting, reflecting the balance between two distinct periods and artistic traditions within Spanish art. It may be attributed to a painter of the Spanish school, likely Catalan, who—while still influenced by the 15th-century Flemish tradition, as evident in the physiognomies and the gold background, decorated in the manner of a tapestry—was already familiar with the monumentality of the Italian Renaissance. Its stylistic language recalls that of Paolo di San Leocadio, an Emilian painter active in Spain, and his son Felipe Pablo de San Leocadio, as well as that of other contemporary masters working within the same artistic milieu, including Pere Mates, Pere Nunyes, and Joan de Borgonya.