Junto con el comercio y la diplomacia, los viajes de los artistas desempeñaron un importante papel en la introducción de las artes del mundo mediterráneo en España. El estilo, la temática e incluso la composición de este fresco tienen sus raíces en las artes del Imperio bizantino cristiano del Mediterráneo oriental, que llegaron primero a Italia y, posteriormente, a España. De un modo muy similar a sus antecesoras bizantinas e italianas, esta imagen muestra a María enmarcada en una aureola almendrada (una mandorla) con el Niño Jesús en el regazo. Madre e hijo aparecen así como poderosos destinatarios de las oraciones, listos para actuar en nombre de los fieles que se encuentran a sus pies. A izquierda y derecha, los arcángeles Gabriel y Miguel se presentan como defensores de los creyentes, mientras los tres Reyes Magos (las figuras más pequeñas) ofrecen presentes como expresión de adoración.
The arts of the wider Mediterranean world came to Spain through the work of traveling artists. The style, subject, and even composition of this fresco have roots in the arts of the Christian-ruled Byzantine Empire in the eastern Mediterranean, which were brought first to Italy and then to Spain. Much like its Byzantine and Italian antecedents, this image shows Mary framed in an almond-shaped halo with the infant Jesus on her lap, presenting mother and son 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 (wise men), the smallest figures, offer gifts in adoration.
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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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