Servant of God and protector of the faithful: St. Nicholas as saint and redeemer in late medieval Burgos

Abstract

During the late medieval period, non-noble merchants were an ever-growing part of Iberian society with both the money and the status to commission works of art. Yet, in studies of fifteenth-century Iberian art, this important group of patrons has been largely overlooked. This article examines the high altarpiece of the Church of San Nicolás de Bari in Burgos, which was completed in 1505. Specifically, the article focuses on the eight narrative scenes of the life of Saint Nicholas as depicted at the center of the altarpiece and considers the manner in which these scenes reflect the personal devotion of the altarpiece's merchant patron, Gonzalo López de Polanco. This article compares Polanco's version of the St. Nicholas narrative to the saint's legend as it is represented in contemporary works of art as well as in fifteenth-century devotional and liturgical texts. These comparisons, combined with analysis of Gonzalo López de Polanco's testament, demonstrate the important role that the patron's life and devotion to Saint Nicholas of Bari played in the commission and overall design of his funerary altarpiece.