NARRATOR:
This magnificent panel by the 15th-century Spanish painter Juan Rexach probably belonged to a late Gothic retablo, or altarpiece. It depicts scenes from the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary, rendered in a crisp, meticulous style that suggests Northern European influences.
In the lower panel, the Virgin Mary is enthroned and surrounded by angels. The white lily she holds symbolizes her purity. She looks directly at us, as the infant Christ plays innocently on her lap. Her embroidered robe and jeweled crown, enhanced by copious amounts of gold leaf, underscore her regal presence.
The top painting shows the crucifixion of Christ. On the left, wrapped in a nun’s dark mantle, the Madonna witnesses her son’s death in silent agony. Gazing up at the cross, in a luminous red dress, is Mary Magdalene, the sinner who repented and became Jesus’ devout follower. On the right, the apostle John weeps quietly, while guards look on.
Both scenes are embellished with punchwork, tiny indentations hammered into the surface, decorating the halos and forming a meandering grapevine beneath the gilded arches. The arrangement of the arches and spires suggests that these paintings may have formed the top central section of the altarpiece. The wings probably showed saints or other biblical scenes, intended to stir piety and compassion in the worshipper.
The Crucifixion and Madonna and Child Enthroned with Angels
c. 1465-70
Juan Rexach (Spanish, active 1443-1484)
On View
Juan Rexach was one of the most important fifteenth-century painters in Valencia. His work, while firmly Spanish, contains elements from other artistic centers in Europe, particularly Flanders. The crucified Christ is painted in a style that is reminiscent of Gerard David, and the distant architecture is Northern in origin. The beautiful and typically Spanish composition of the Madonna and Child enthroned with angels became a popular subject in Valencian painting of the period. Fortunately, the late Gothic ogee arches above each compartment have been preserved. It is clear from the framing and arrangement of subjects that this must have been the top central section of a large retable.
Details
- Artist Name: Juan Rexach (Spanish, active 1443-1484)
- Title: The Crucifixion and Madonna and Child Enthroned with Angels
- Date: c. 1465-70
- Medium: Tempera and gold leaf on panel
- Dimensions: 68-1/2 x 38-1/2 in. (174.0 x 97.8 cm)
- Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
- Accession Number: F.1976.18.P
- Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation
Object Information
Brought to [?U.S.A.] from Valencia in the 19th or early 20th century.
Grace Nichols (later Mrs. Richard P. Strong), Boston, by 1928.
Mr. and Mrs. John G. Greene, Boston, by 1961.
[Thos. Agnew & Sons, Ltd., London, stock no. 59/74, sold 14 May 1976 to];
The Norton Simon Foundation.
Grace Nichols (later Mrs. Richard P. Strong), Boston, by 1928.
Mr. and Mrs. John G. Greene, Boston, by 1961.
[Thos. Agnew & Sons, Ltd., London, stock no. 59/74, sold 14 May 1976 to];
The Norton Simon Foundation.
Loans to Cambridge, Harvard University, Fogg Art Museum
- Fogg Art Museum, 1928 to 1928
- Fogg Art Museum, 1933 to 1933
- Fogg Art Museum, 1934 to 1935
- Fogg Art Museum, 1940 to 1940
- Fogg Art Museum, 1941 to 1947
Art in New England: Paintings, Drawings, Prints from Private Collections in New England
- Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1939-06-09 to 1939-09-10
Master Paintings: Recent Acquisitions
- London, Thomas Agnew & Sons, 1976-05-18 to 1976-06-18
[on loan]
- Birmingham Museum of Art, 1976-11-08 to 1977-08
- Ressort, Claudie, La revue du Louvre et des Musées de France, nos. 4-5, fig. 6 pp. 255-257
- Young, Eric, The Connoisseur, p. 176
- Masterpieces from the Norton Simon Museum, p. 16
- Saralegui, Leandro da, Boletín de la Sociedad Española de Excursiones, 1932, pl. XI p. 57
- Post, Chandler R., History of Spanish Painting, 1935, pt. 1, fig. 26 p. 84
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 1384 p. 401
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