Minor or Major? Castilian Tabernacle-Altarpieces and Monumental Arts

Abstract

This article explores the origin and distinctive features of Castilian tabernacle-altarpieces. Less attention will be paid to the well-known specimens of the fourteenth century (as for example the Castildelgado and Yurre altarpieces) and the focus will be on some poorly preserved, fragmented and manipulated specimens of the late thirteenth century, for which proposals of reconstruction are provided in some instances. To investigate the origin of Castilian tabernacle-altarpieces, the study centres on several thirteenth-century sculptures that were placed either before back panels or within baldachins to highlight them. These displays are usually regarded as the forerunners of genuine tabernacle-altarpieces. In this context, special attention is paid to the images of the Virgin and Child in the church of Villalcázar de Sirga (Palencia). Concerning the distinctive features of Castilian tabernacle-altarpieces, the text points out the relationship between the earliest tabernacle-altarpieces and the locally produced monumental and tomb sculpture, which in all likelihood served as a model for these early altarpieces.