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an image of a statue of a woman holding a childan image of a statue of a woman holding a childstatue of a woman holding a child in her armsstatue of a woman holding a child with a crown on her headan image of a statue of a man holding a childstatue of a woman holding a child with a crown on her headan image of a statue of a man with a hat on his head
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5 - Lorenzo Mercadante de Bretaña (active in Andalusia, second h…

Estimate €3,000 - €4,500
Sale commission
Description
Lorenzo Mercadante de Bretaña (active in Andalusia, second half of the 15th century) and workshop 'Madonna and Child' Figure in alabaster. Late 15th century. 52 x 20,5 x 17 cm. Gothic sculpture made of alabastrine material representing the crowned Virgin holding her Child in her arms. The work was produced in the surroundings of Seville, close to the workshops of Lorenzo Mercadante de Bretaña, an artist who, as Dr Jesús Rojas-Marcos states, “stands out for the deliberate humanisation 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 would be the case here] and in the modelling 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,” continues the scholar, “the biography of Mercadante 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 the Sevillian cathedral houses the other documented work by the master, the group representing the ‘Virgin of the Strawberry Tree,’ both carved in alabaster. To this small but important corpus, several other works have been attributed, including statuary on the portals of the Nativity and the Baptism of Seville Cathedral. Indeed, in Andalusia, Mercadante’s figure was of particular importance, since “in Andalusia, despite the existence of earlier Christian works, sculpture does 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 activity provoked a stylistic shift, moving away from the Flemish manner to adopt a distinctly Burgundian character. Indeed, this exceptional master knew how to combine the art of Flanders with that of Burgundy, which acts as a link 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 catalogue entry are taken, “by emphasising 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 imagery, whose captivating personality would be formed a century after the disappearance of the Breton master.” Reference bibliography: - Rojas-Marcos González, Jesús. (2023). 'Mercadante de Bretaña. El enigma de su personalidad escultórica'.Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Seville.
About the sale ABBATIALIS. Res Sacra.
Auction location
Auction time 11/05/2026 at 7:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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