This remarkable late 16th-century fragment depicts Saint Madrona, the Patron Saint of Barcelona, Spain, holding a 15th-century carrack and the martyr’s palm frond. She stands before a port and what’s presumed to be the mountain of Montjuïc. Produced in around 1580, on the cusp of the Anglo-Spanish War, this enchanting historical survivor probably once formed part of an altarpiece. Its fixings, many of which are original, have been left intact.

Saint Madrona is a lesser-known Saint of the Catholic Church and very little is recorded about her life. It’s believed that she was born in Barcelona during the third or fourth century and, when orphaned, travelled to live with her uncle in Greece, where she was martyred in Thessalonica. It’s said that following her death, French merchants purchased her body as a business venture, but every time they tried to leave port, they were forced back by storms. This may explain her status as the patron saint of sailors. She’s venerated in Barcelona and several Catalan villages, with her feast day on the 15th of March.

Stylistically, the work is comparable with those of the Catalan Gothic painter, Ramon de Mur (1380-1436), who was attached to the Tarragona school. Although somewhat later, it’s conceivable that it originated in a workshop in or around Tarragona by an artist who was aware of his oeuvre.

The panel is held within a custom iron cradle for presentation on a shelf or sideboard.

Thanks to the National Art Museum of Catalonia and author Marcel Pujol Hamelink.

Medium: Tempera on panel
Overall size: 28” x 21” / 72cm x 53cm
Year of creation: c. 1580
Provenance: Private collection, UK.
Condition: Cleaned. Areas of fine and settled craquelure, as you would expect. Losses. Discoloration. Various fixing nails proud of surface and abrasions.
Our reference: BRV1769