The Frontal of Sant' Marti de Puigbo and the Saint Martin of Tours Iconography in the Catalan Altar Painting Tradition

Abstract

The subject of research in this article is the iconography and cult of St. Martin of Tours in the Catalan altar painting tradition. The object of the study is a unique monument of the first half of the 12th century – the frontal of Sant Marti de Puigbo, once considered one of the most ancient works of Catalan Romanesque panel painting. The author made an attempt to dispel the historiographical myth about the antiquity of piece of art and embed it into the historical, cultural and political context. It was the method of iconographic analysis that made it possible to link the creation of the frontal of Sant' Marti de Puigbo with the special cult of Saint Martin of Tours in the Catalan Comarques, as well as with his patronage of the counts of Barcelona. In the course of the study, the author concluded that the creation of the Frontal Sant' Marti de Puigbo is connected with the reign of Count Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona, whose patron saint was Saint Martin. This conclusion made it possible to more accurately date the frontal from the church of Sant'marti de Puigbo. The connection between the veneration of the cult of St. Martin and the activities of Ramon Berenguer is evidenced by archival documents, as well as some monuments dedicated to St. Martin located in the territories controlled by the Count of Barcelona. The analysis made it possible to link the iconography of St. Martin on the frontal from Puigbo with the iconography of Ramon Berenguer III on the tombstone of the count from the monastery of Santa Maria de Ripoll, which also allowed the author to conclude that the frontal and the sculptural tombstone could have been made in the same workshop. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that no attempt has yet been made to completely reconstruct the context of commission of this example of the Catalan altarpiece painting and determine the exact time and place of its creation.