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    • Late 16th-Century Catalan School

    Saint Magí & Saint Mauro

    Late 16th-Century Catalan School, Saint Magí & Saint Mauro
    Late 16th-Century Catalan School, Saint Magí & Saint Mauro
    Late 16th-Century Catalan School, Saint Magí & Saint Mauro
    Late 16th-Century Catalan School, Saint Magí & Saint Mauro
    Late 16th-Century Catalan School, Saint Magí & Saint Mauro
    Late 16th-Century Catalan School, Saint Magí & Saint Mauro
    Late 16th-Century Catalan School, Saint Magí & Saint Mauro
    Late 16th-Century Catalan School, Saint Magí & Saint Mauro

    Late 16th-Century Catalan School

    Saint Magí & Saint Mauro

    This late 16th-century Catalan fragment presents Saint Magí, patron saint of Tarragona, alongside Saint Mauro, a Benedictine monk. Created around 1580, it most likely formed part of a predella, where small saints stood in a measured row beneath the larger altarpiece above. The panel endures now as a compelling remnant, its age resting quietly on the surface.

    Saint Magí, known also as Maginus, was a third-century hermit of Mount Brufaganya, remembered for his martyrdom during the Roman persecutions under Maximian. Saint Mauro, raised within the monastic life of the sixth century, became associated with several miracles said to have taken place as he journeyed from Italy toward France. Here, the two stand side by side, their staves marking them not as figures of spectacle but as travellers: steady, thoughtful, and certain of their purpose.

    The painting bears the quiet hallmarks of the Tarragona school. Though produced after the high period of Ramon de Mur (1380-1435), it reflects the continuity of that older Gothic sensibility - the measured outlines, the gentle modelling, and the devotional directness that lingered in provincial workshops well into the late 16th century. The scale and construction are consistent with predella work, created for close viewing and for the quiet attention of those who passed before it.

    Today, the fragment rests in a simple iron cradle, lifting the panel into view so it can live companionably in modern rooms. Much of the structure it once belonged to has vanished over time, yet the panel carries what remains with dignity - the original fixings, the softened edges, the faint sense of having passed through more than one silent chapel and survived each shift without complaint.

    You do not need a cloister or a vaulted stone wall to appreciate it. After so many years in quiet places, the panel travels lightly now and asks only for a corner in which to rest.

    With thanks to the National Art Museum of Catalonia and researcher Marcel Pujol Hamelink.

    Medium: Tempera on panel
    Overall size: 31” x 23” / 69cm x 59cm
    Year of creation: c. 1580
    Provenance: Private collection, UK.
    Condition: Cleaned. Areas of fine and settled craquelure, as you would expect. Losses. Discolouration. Various fixing nails proud of surface and abrasions.
    Our reference: BRV1768

    Late 16th-Century Catalan School, Saint Magí & Saint Mauro
    Late 16th-Century Catalan School, Saint Magí & Saint Mauro
    Late 16th-Century Catalan School, Saint Magí & Saint Mauro
    Late 16th-Century Catalan School, Saint Magí & Saint Mauro
    Late 16th-Century Catalan School, Saint Magí & Saint Mauro
    Late 16th-Century Catalan School, Saint Magí & Saint Mauro
    Late 16th-Century Catalan School, Saint Magí & Saint Mauro
    Late 16th-Century Catalan School, Saint Magí & Saint Mauro

    Conservation & History

    We care profoundly about our role as custodians and every piece in the collection has been assessed by our conservator. When required, we undertake professional restoration carefully using reversible techniques and adopt a light touch to retain the aged charm of each work.

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