Los retablos de las catedrales de Extremadura

Description

Abstract (English)

This study offers a comprehensive survey of the evolution of altarpieces in the cathedrals of Extremadura, tracing their development from late Gothic models to the sophisticated structures of the fully matured Baroque, thereby revealing a remarkably rich artistic heritage. Early works such as the Santa Bárbara altarpiece in Badajoz and the contributions of Luis de Morales demonstrate a pictorial language marked by emotional depth and exceptional significance for sixteenth-century Spanish religious art. A central section examines the main altarpiece of Plasencia Cathedral, regarded as one of the masterpieces of Spanish Baroque sculpture, created through the collaboration of Gregorio Fernández, the Velázquez workshop and prominent painters, forming a monumental theological program that integrates sculpture, relief and painting. The text also studies the altarpieces of the Dormition (Tránsito) and the Relics, where the involvement of the Churriguera family introduces a fully Baroque aesthetic defined by theatricality, ornate decoration and mechanical devices designed to reveal or conceal sacred imagery. Finally, the analysis highlights the transition toward the tabernacle-type altarpiece and the use of Solomonic columns in Badajoz and Coria, underscoring the exceptional artistic, devotional and historical importance of Extremadura’s altarpiece tradition, shaped through continuous contact with major artistic centers such as Valladolid, Toledo and Seville.