Alonso Gallego (Medina del Campo, Valladolid,... Lot n° 32

Alonso Gallego (Medina del Campo, Valladolid, c. 1475 - Nájera, La Rioja, c. 1548) "The Annunciation" Oil on panel. 113 x 92 cm. The style of this previously unknown panel coincides perfectly with that of the painter Alonso Gallego, active in La Rioja in the first half of the 16 th century. The composition follows the same model that we see in one of the compartments of the reredos at Cañas monastery (La Rioja), and one of the panels of the main altarpiece in Zorraquín (La Rioja).  In the latter case, even the way in which the curtains of the "Thalamus virginis", (Mary’s bed) are tied back is the same.  The dimensions, style and iconography of the panel are strongly reminiscent of the two compartments  kept at El Conventet, Barcelona of the Epiphany (108 x 91 cm) and the Asuncion of Mary (121 x 88 cm), from the former Francisco Godia collection. The relationship between all these suggests a common provenance, meaning that they could all have been part of the same reredos.  Moreover, these two panels appear to be from Támara (Palencia, Spain), an origin which would also fit with the panel in our auction. In the aforementioned collection in Barcelona there are two more compartments from the same set, a Saint John the Evangelist and a Saint Thomas (96 x 60 cm each), which were part of the predella of the reredos.  A Saint Andrew (102 x 65 cm), a Saint Paul (101 x 64 cm) and a James the Great (90 x 63 cm) also belonged to the same set and were sold at auction some years ago. The first two were sold at Christie's (London) in 1991, and the third at Fernando Durán (Madrid) in 1993. Finally, there were some compartments sold at auction in 1981 in Barcelona depicting the Victory of Saint Michael and the angels over the demons (120 x 98 cm), and the Miracle of Mount Gargano (121 x 100).  Today these are kept at the Francisco Godia Foundation in Barcelona and, once again, their style and dimensions point to a common provenance to all the previous panels, even though these last ones are dedicated to the hagiographical legend of Saint Michael. This shared origin could be justified by the provenance of the last two, which were said to come from the church of Sant Miguel de Támara, in other words, the same locality as the first group of panels mentioned.   The painter trained initially in Castile, probably in the town of Medina itself, and settled in Nájera around 1495.  His style is clearly influenced by Juan de Borgoña, Among other artists, Gallego is connected to Vigarny and León Picardo. Between 1529 and 1534 he was commissioned alongside Andrés de Melgar to do the painting and polychroming of the altarpieces of the retrochoir in the Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada, by León Picardo, this is the key to discerning and studying his work.   As Moya Valgañón notes in his biographical index card at the Real Academia de la Historia: “His style can be established as German mannerist, the canon of his characters is slim figures but with bulky shoulders, flattened faces with very prominent chins and bulging foreheads, with a serene expression in contrast to the convulsion of their movements. The style corresponds to the trend that sought to be distinctive, but in scenes where there are always references to Roman architecture. The very defined forms mean that it has been possible to attribute numerous other paintings to him without fear due to his unmistakable style. In his day, he was known as Maestro de Támara don Diego Angulo.” To find out more about these panels, consult the following publication on the painters of Logroño “José Gabriel Moya Valgañón, Alonso Gallego y Andrés de Melgar, pintores, Logroño”, published by the Gobierno de La Rioja, Instituto de Estudios Riojanos, 2013, pp. 85-95.