The Late Gothic Altarpiece in the Cathedral of Oviedo – A Spanish Retablo and its Atlantic Context

Abstract

The altarpiece on the main altar of Oviedo Cathedral is one of the largest and best preserved of Spain’s giant late Gothic retablos. It was erected between 1511 and 1531 by several carpenters and woodcarvers from Spain, the Low Countries and perhaps northern France. Whereas the style of the carved scenes, figures and baldachins is clearly rooted in the Netherlandish tradition, retables of such a vast size and with such an architecturally-designed structure remained exclusive to the Iberian Peninsula. The traditional term hispanoflamenco (Spanish-Flemish) fails to do justice to the altarpiece’s hybrid character, as it is more complex than just a Flemish import. Its appearance and message must be understood in the light of late medieval Oviedo’s cultural and economic networks that extended from the Peninsula along Europe’s Atlantic rim. Additional circumstances of a distinctly local character also influenced the design and iconography of the altarpiece. These include its location in a short chancel behind a transparent trellis screen which made it clearly visible to all those present, and an intriguing local tradition surrounding a late Antique marble jar that was venerated as one of the vessels said to have been present at the Wedding at Cana.