School of BARTOLOMÉ DE CASTRO; 16th century.
"The Baptism".
Oil on panel. Engatillada.
Faults and xylophagous damage.
Presents later inscription.
Measurements: 80 x 50 cm; 95 x 64 cm (frame).
In a narrow interior a group of faithful, they are kneeling with the hands on the chest in prayerful attitude. The figures are being baptised by Christ, who is standing in a white robe, indicating that this is a representation of the risen Jesus. The scene is of great rarity in terms of subject matter, and in the area behind it an inscription from a later period reads "Opus Petia Villoldo" (The work was requested by the people). It would therefore be a summary of the image interpreted at a later date. It is likely that the scene is based on the story narrated in Corinthians 15, verse 6 which says "go, proclaim and teach, I will be with you...". The piece is aesthetically at a transitional moment between medieval and renaissance. The figures retain a certain anatomical distortion, the hieratic gestures and the taste for the reproduction of details in a meticulous manner indicate a certain medieval heritage. However, the background, which shows a great interest in the reproduction of architecture, is close to the postulates of the Renaissance without abandoning the influence of the previous aesthetic current. Although the exact date of his birth is not known, Bartolomé de Castro was working in Palencia at the beginning of the 16th century. There are currently not many signed works by the author, and we have information on only a few of them, the most outstanding being the work of "Santo Domingo", which belongs to the collection of the Lázaro Galdiano Museum, and also a Saint Onofre from the Masaveu collection. Although it is known that he kept abreast of Renaissance aesthetic trends through various prints from Italy, Bartolomé de Castro remained faithful to an artistic style influenced by Gothic precepts.