Mounted in the apse from Fuentidueña, this fresco originally came from a different site, the church of the Virgin near Tredòs, nestled in the Pyrenees near the border between Spain and France. Despite its remote location, the church occupied a strategic position in the mountains, at the head of the Garonne River, and its paintings reveal a connection to the arts of far-off lands. This fresco’s style, subject, and composition have roots in the arts of the Byzantine Empire in the eastern Mediterranean, brought by traveling artists first to Italy and from there to Catalonia. Like its Byzantine and Italian antecedents, the painting shows Mary framed in an almond-shaped, full-body halo with the infant Jesus on her lap. Mother and son are presented as the powerful recipients of prayers, ready to act on behalf of the worshippers below. At left and right, the archangels Gabriel and Michael serve as advocates for the faithful, while the three magi, the smallest figures, offer gifts in adoration. In 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, the church of the Virgin was sacked. Subsequently, its frescoes were acquired by museums and private collectors, while other objects from the church disappeared entirely.
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Title:The Virgin and Child in Majesty and the Adoration of the Magi
Artist:Attributed to the Master of Pedret (Spanish, Catalonia, 12th century)
Date:ca. 1100
Geography:Made in Lleida, Catalonia, Spain
Culture:Catalan
Medium:Fresco transferred to canvas
Dimensions:Overall (a-c): 127 x 233 1/4 in. (322.6 x 592.5 cm) Overall (d): 36 1/2 x 17 3/4 in. (92.7 x 45.1 cm) Overall (e): 33 1/4 x 18 1/2 in. (84.5 x 47 cm) Overall (f): 43 x 17 in. (109.2 x 43.2 cm) Overall (g): 57 1/4 x 18 3/4 in. (145.4 x 47.6 cm) Overall (h): 46 3/4 x 20 1/4 in. (118.7 x 51.4 cm) Overall (i): 53 x 20 1/4 in. (134.6 x 51.4 cm) Overall (j): 42 x 20 in. (106.7 x 50.8 cm) Overall (k): 44 x 17 1/4 in. (111.8 x 43.8 cm) Overall (l): 45 1/4 x 14 in. (114.9 x 35.6 cm)
Classification:Paintings-Fresco
Credit Line:The Cloisters Collection, 1950
Object Number:50.180a-l
Inscription: (left to right) MIHAEL / MELHIOR / BALDASAR / GAS / PA[R] / GABRIEL; (on Gabriel's scroll) POSTVL ACIVIS (declaration)
From the church of Era Mare de Diu de Cap d’Aran, near Tredòs, Spain; Paul O. Berliz, New York (sold 1950)
New York. The Cloisters Museum & Gardens. "Spanish Medieval Art," December 15, 1954–January 30, 1955.
New York. The Cloisters, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Spain, 1000–1200: Art at the Frontiers of Faith," August 30, 2021–January 30, 2022.
Rorimer, James J. "'Reports of the Departments,' Incorporating the Eighty-First Annual Report of the Trustees for the Year 1950." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 10, no. 1 (Summer 1951). p. 26.
Spanish Medieval Art: A Loan Exhibition in Honor of Dr. Walter W.S. Cook. New York: Institute of Fine Arts Alumni Association, 1954. no. 58.
Rorimer, James J. "A XII Century Fresco from the Pyrenees." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, n.s., 13, no. 6 (February 1955). p. 186, 188–190.
Rorimer, James J. The Cloisters: The Building and the Collection of Medieval Art in Fort Tryon Park. 3rd revised ed. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1963. pp. 34–36, fig. 12.
Deuchler, Florens. "The Cloisters: Ein Museum für mittelalterliche Kunst in New York." Du 32, no. 2 (1972). p. 101.
Rorimer, James J. Medieval Monuments at The Cloisters: As They Were and As They Are, edited by Katherine Serrell Rorimer. Revised ed. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1972. p. 38–44, fig. 41–52.
Baetjer, Katharine. European Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art by Artists Born before 1865: A Summary Catalogue. Vol. 1. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1980. p. 120.
Baetjer, Katharine. European Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art by Artists Born before 1865: A Summary Catalogue. Vol. 2. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1980. p. 187.
Shepard, Mary B. Europe in the Middle Ages, edited by Charles T. Little, and Timothy B. Husband. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987. pp. 11, 62–63, pl. 54, 55.
Young, Bonnie. A Walk Through The Cloisters. 5th ed. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1988. pp. 15–17.
Ainaud de Lasarte, Juan. Catalan Painting: Volume 1, The Fascination of Romanesque. New York: Skira, 1990. pp. 70–71.
Baetjer, Katharine. European Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art by Artists Born before 1865: A Summary Catalogue. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1995. p. 144.
Barnet, Peter, and Nancy Y. Wu. The Cloisters: Medieval Art and Architecture. New York and New Haven: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2005. no. 13, pp. 40, 193.
Romanesque Art Guide. 4th ed. Barcelona: Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, 2005. p. 43.
Norris, Michael. Medieval Art: A Resource for Educators. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2005. p. 79, fig. 27.
Pagès i Paretas, Montserrat. "Es pintures romaniques de Santa Maria de Cap d'Aran." In Miscellanèa en aumenatge a Melquíades Calzado de Castro: "Damb eth còr aranés". Lleida: Pagès Editors, 2010. pp. 317–31.
Barnet, Peter, and Nancy Y. Wu. The Cloisters: Medieval Art and Architecture. 75th Anniversary ed. New York and New Haven: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012. p. 37.
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