Lot 646
(Activo en Aragón desde 1422, fallecido en Zaragoza en 1459)
BLASCO DE GRAÑEN (Active in Aragon since 1422, died in Zaragoza in 1459) "Angel of the Passion with the lantern", c. 1440-1445
Tempera and gold on panel. Provenance: Switzerland, private collection (until 2020); Barcelona, private collection. Bibliography: Velasco GonzAlez, A., “The lost angel of Anento appeared”, Ars Magazine, 53, 2021, pp. 142-143. Blasco de Grañen is the main representative of international Gothic in Aragonese lands. He is documented in Zaragoza between 1422 and 1459, an activity that practically coincides with the prelature of Archbishop Dalmau de Mur (1431-1456); considered the most relevant artistic promoter in Aragon at that time. For this, he made the main altarpiece of the parish church of Albalate del Arzobispo (Teruel), whose main panel is preserved in the Museum of Zaragoza, as well as the magnificent set of panels that make up the altarpiece of San Blas in the parish of Anento, municipality near Daroca; Today considered one of the most emblematic works of Aragonese Gothic. The work shown here, representing an Angel of the Passion carrying the lantern, is an excellent example of the production of Blasco de Grañen and its attribution escapes any type of doubt by observing its formal and stylistic characteristics. The mere comparison of this work with the angels made by the same painter in the Anento altarpiece allows us to reach the conclusion that they respond to the same formal and stylistic conception, showing the same facial features, similar clothing and identical postures. The punching of the gilding is also very similar, as is the type of golden masonry or the blue decoration of the interstices. The strong formal and stylistic connection of this panel with those of the Anento altarpiece led the historian Alberto Velasco GonzAlez to think a few years ago what seemed logical: that this Angel of the Passion was the lost one that was part of that group; a theory that was later rejected taking into account the measurements of the space occupied in the complex by the missing piece and those of this painting. Regarding its dating, its style points towards a chronology similar to that of the altarpieces of Anento, Lanaja or Puebla de AlbortOn. The first was completed by Blasco de Grañen during the time of Archbishop Dalmau de Mur, as revealed by the heraldic emblems on the dust jacket. The one in Lanaja was made around 1437 and the one in Puebla de AlbortOn was contracted in 1445. All of this leads to placing the execution of this painting around 140-1445, in the painter's period of maturity. Attached is a study of the painting carried out by Dr. Alberto Velasco GonzAlez, issued on February 27, 2024. Measurements: 89.5 x 29.5 cm.
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