High Altarpiece (Retablo Mayor) – Toledo Cathedral

High Altarpiece (Retablo Mayor), Toledo Cathedral

By Peti Jean, Copín de Holanda, Felipe Vigarny, and others | c. 1490–1500

This retable* was commissioned by Cardinal Pedro González de Mendoza with the hope of elevating catholicism’s significance within Toledo. Commissioned during the rule of Catholic monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, it had a strong basis of support throughout Spain and due to this was placed in one of the most prominent and recognizable monuments in the country. Spanish, Italian, and Flemish (Dutch) artists all worked on this piece making it one of the most collaborative products of the time. The retable is filled with iconic scenes of Christ including the Crucification, Nativity, and Ascension scenes. The mural is fully covered in golf leaf and vivid colors which—like with El Greco’s usage of this tactic—gives the piece and especially Christ heavenly glows. Gothic architecture is omnipresent in the piece with rich tracery, crockets, niches, and pinnacles all showing the Italian influence.

Carved from wood, lavishly gilded, and polychromed, the retable towers nearly to the cathedral vault. It presents a complex visual narrative centered on the life of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and saints of the Church, arranged in hierarchical tiers. Its vertical structure, draws the viewer’s eyes upward, reflecting its theological intent: to lift the soul toward heaven. Sitting opposite to the much more famous El Transperente, the High Altarpiece shows more spiritual value and promotes Catholic beliefs, this Mural also represents a critical turning point of art in Spain as it adopts and adapts other distinct European art styles. This painting was made at the height of Gothic painting in Spain as it beautifully displays religious themes.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

*Retable: a frame or shelf enclosing decorated panels or revered objects above and behind an altar.

Collection : Toledan Art