Virgin of the Councillors by Lluís Dalmau: A Hispano-Flemish Masterpiece
Virgin of the Councillors by Lluís Dalmau
Chronology
From 1443 to 1445.
Style
Flemish Gothic style. Author: Lluís Dalmau. Technique: oil. Support: wood. Location: MNAC.
- Perfecting the oil technique
- Exceptional degree of detail, unpublished brightness
- Absence of movement and use of strong symbolism
- Themes: religious, profane, and a great interest in portraiture
- Extraordinary thoroughness
- There is a predominant color in the drawing. It is symmetrical, articulated around the central figure of the Virgin Mary with baby Jesus; the groups of characters on each side of the Virgin are almost identical.
The perspective of the table is central, and there is an interest in creating a feeling of space, which is achieved by tiling the floor and the landscape seen through the windows, elements from the influence of Van Eyck.
The whole is harmonious and balanced, although there is a predominance of vertical lines, which gives the work a certain hieratic quality. The whiteness of the figure of the child stands out from the blue mantle of the Mother of God.
The main table in the center represents the Virgin seated on a majestic throne, with her son in her arms. Santa Eulalia appears on the right side with three councillors: Chief Minister John Lull, Francis, and Joan Llobet on their knees. In addition, St. Andrew is next to the other two councillors, Ramon and Antonio de Savall i Vilatorta.
Within an ensemble, a group of angels are singing on each side. These windows are of openwork tracery and are the first to show a mainland landscape painting. This item is also considered a direct influence of Van Eyck’s realism.
We see, therefore, how this painting shows an absolute influence of Flemish painting, and particularly of works by Van Eyck, whom Dalmau met directly in Flanders.
The table does not have the golden background that was characteristic of Catalan altarpieces of the period, but a landscape inspired by Van Eyck; the grisaille architecture is typical of this famous artist, and even the floor tiles from Valencia lie within the characteristics of Flemish paintings of tiled flooring. Dalmau does, however, introduce some changes in the environmental framework, as the tracery of the windows does not respond to the model.
Dalmau used a technique for veils, which consists of overlapping layers of transparent paint to give the work a deeper and greater approximation to tangible reality. This can be seen in the coloration of carnations and the translucent veil that carries the Christ Child, which clearly reveals his anatomy.
Using the technique of oil mixed with tempera here allows the artist to do a more thorough, detailed work, as in the backdrop, the lyrics of the Cantoral, the watermarks and the throne of the Virgin’s hair, the various decorative elements of architecture, and the different textures of the characters’ clothes.
The execution of the work is not entirely successful; the expression of the Virgin and the angels singing is archetypal. The figure of the Virgin follows the Flemish model, with blond, wavy hair, very different from the Virgin characteristic of Catalan altarpieces. The angels singing clearly imitate the creations of Van Eyck, in the Polyptych of the Mystic Lamb.
The figures of the councillors, for which he did not use Flemish models, have a descriptive sense and a very basic modeling; however, he was interested in acquiring portraits of real characters.
Iconography
It represents the five councillors with great naturalism, kneeling and adoring the Virgin.
Meaning
In 1443, the five councillors of the Council of One Hundred of the city decided to provide an altar for a chapel of the House of the City and commissioned an altarpiece. The choice to carry it out was Lluís Dalmau. The councillors established in the contract the characteristics that the altarpiece should have and the figures that had to be represented: the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus, Santa Eulalia, St. Andrew, and the same five councillors, respecting their individual likeness. Above the central table, the work should have had a predella in which the Mercy in the tomb with an angel appeared in the middle, and stories of the saints (Eulalia and Andrew) on either side; this predella, however, has been lost.
Dalmau is considered the pioneer of the new Hispano-Flemish style. His artistic legacy was collected, among others, by the Andalusian Bartolomé Bermejo and the Catalan Jaume Huguet.
Function
The function is the desire for immortalization of the members of the Executive Board of the Council of One Hundred and decorative for one of the offices of the House of the City.