Bidspirit auction | ”Saint Stephen” Catalan or Sard

”Saint Stephen” Catalan or Sard School. Gothic. Second half of 15th Century. - Tempera on panel and gold background. The saint is depicted as haloed, in a frontal position. Wearing an alb and a dalmatic, he carries stones on the Gospel in his left hand, symbol of his death by stoning. In his right hand he holds the martyr’s palm. 161 x 86 cm. On the back there are two bars, and on each of them is a label, which must be related to their transport from their place of origin to Barcelona. As Dr. Alberto Velasco notes in his article “L'antiquaria Maria Esclasans (1875 – 1947) i el comerç d’art antic a Barcelona” in which he pays well-deserved homage to the great Catalan antiquarian: “What is more complex is affiliating a central compartment of a reredos to the full-length depiction of Saint Stephen. (161 x 86 cm.) The characteristics of the painting mean that it must be situated in the Catalan context in the mid 15th century, but at the current time we cannot be more precise. Even so, one can detect similarities to paintings by Catalan painters, active in the sard environment”. Provenance: Formerly in the Antiquarian Maria Esclasans’ collection, Barcelona. Private collection, Barcelona. We are grateful to Dr. Albert Velasco for his help in cataloging this lot. Bibliography: Article “L'antiquaria Maria Esclasans (1875 – 1947) i el comerç d’art antic a Barcelona” by Alberto Velasco Gonzàlez. The painting is commented on and reproduced on Page 212. Fig. 12. Published in “Agents del mercat artístic i col•leccionistes: nous estudis sobre el patrimoni artístic de Catalunya als segles XIX i XX” Bonaventura Bassegoda e Ignasi Doménech Vives, 2017.