Artwork
Our Lady of Mercy
Our Lady of Mercy is an unspecified painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Bonanat Zaortiga the Elder. It dates from 1430 and is held in the collection of the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya.
About this work
Overview
Bonanat Zaortiga the Elder’s *Our Lady of Mercy* is a devotional panel dating to circa 1430. Executed in tempera on wood, the work is part of the collection of the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya. The composition centers on a crowned Virgin surrounded by angels and a gathering of figures, all set against a luminous golden backdrop.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure is the Virgin Mary, identified by her halo and the flowing blue mantle trimmed in gold, a traditional symbol of her heavenly status.
The central figure is the Virgin Mary, identified by her halo and the flowing blue mantle trimmed in gold, a traditional symbol of her heavenly status. Two attendant angels flank her: one bears a red heart, evoking her role as a compassionate intercessor, while the other’s dark wings suggest a protective, perhaps penitential, presence. The surrounding crowd, rendered in varied, colorful attire, appears to be petitioners seeking her mercy.
Technique & Style
Zaortiga employs a restrained palette of blues, golds, and reds, using fine brushwork to delineate intricate patterns on the Virgin’s robe and the feathered texture of the angels’ wings. The golden background, applied in thin glazes, creates a sense of depth and spiritual radiance. The composition balances linear arrangement with subtle modeling, characteristic of early 15th‑century Catalan panel painting.
History & Provenance
Created in the early 1430s, the panel likely served a private chapel or confraternity devoted to the Virgin’s merciful intercession. It entered the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya’s holdings in the 20th century, where it has been conserved and displayed as part of the museum’s medieval Iberian collection, illustrating regional devotional practices of the period.
Artist & collection
Artist
This artist painted altarpieces and religious panels in 15th-century Valencia, Spain.
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