.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
These two reliefs must originally have formed part of a large and important altarpiece which was probably devoted to the life of St Peter. In the first scene, Christ appears to Peter after His Resurrection, an event which is mentioned only in the Gospel according to St. Luke (24:34). In the second scene, possibly intended to represent the Ascension of Christ, Peter again takes a prominent position, standing on the right.
The ample drapery folds and the distinctive curly hair and beards of these figures are elements of the classicising style prevalent in the north east of Spain in the later 16th and early 17th centuries. This 'roman' style was a legacy of the work of Michelangelo, whose influence was widespread in areas of Rioja and Navarre (Trusted, loc. cit.). Comparisons can be made with the high alter of the parish church at Zumaya, and the altar of the Trinity Chapel in the cathedral of Jaca (elements of which are illustrated in Weise, op. cit., plates 126, 134 and 135).
The ample drapery folds and the distinctive curly hair and beards of these figures are elements of the classicising style prevalent in the north east of Spain in the later 16th and early 17th centuries. This 'roman' style was a legacy of the work of Michelangelo, whose influence was widespread in areas of Rioja and Navarre (Trusted, loc. cit.). Comparisons can be made with the high alter of the parish church at Zumaya, and the altar of the Trinity Chapel in the cathedral of Jaca (elements of which are illustrated in Weise, op. cit., plates 126, 134 and 135).