The Prado exhibits two medieval works from the Museum of Mallorca in a large exhibition on Mediterranean Gothic

PalmaThe Consell de Mallorca participates in the exhibition «In the manner of Italy. Spain and the Mediterranean Gothic (1320-1420)» at the Museu Nacional del Prado with two outstanding pieces from the Museu de Mallorca: The Crucifixion Panel and The Altarpiece of Saint Quiteria. The exhibition opened this Monday and can be visited until September 20.

The exhibition brings together more than a hundred works from state and international collections and offers a new look at the artistic exchanges between the Iberian Peninsula and Italy during the Trecento, a period marked by the circulation of artists, techniques, and visual models on both sides of the Mediterranean.

The opening ceremony was attended by the president of the Consell de Mallorca, Llorenç Galmés, and the vice-president and minister of Culture and Heritage, Antònia Roca. Galmés highlighted that “the presence of these two works from the Museu de Mallorca at the Prado confirms the external projection of the island's artistic heritage and reinforces the role it plays in the great museographic narratives of the State”.

For her part, Roca emphasized the restoration work carried out during February by technicians Estrella Armendáriz and Caterina Fiol, an intervention that has allowed the pieces to be exhibited “in the best conditions” and reaffirmed the Consell's commitment to the conservation and dissemination of heritage.

The Prado exhibition starts from the idea that without Italian influence, it is impossible to understand the artistic development of the Iberian Peninsula in the late Middle Ages. This constant contact generated a new, hybrid, and creative visual language, the result of the combination between local traditions and influences from Italy.

In this context, the two Mallorcan works hold a prominent place. The Crucifixion Panel (1343-1358), from the royal chapel of Santa Anna in Almudaina, is considered one of the most representative pieces of Mallorcan Gothic art. The composition, presided over by the scene of the crucifixion and surrounded by stylized figures on a golden background, demonstrates the Italo-Gothic influence and stands out for the quality of the pigments and the technical execution.

On the other hand, The Altarpiece of Santa Quiteria (around 1346), attributed to the painter Joan Loert and originally from the old Hospital of Sant Antoni in Palma, stands out for its monumentality and narrative power. The work recounts the life and martyrdom of the saint in twelve scenes and constitutes a unique example of Mediterranean Gothic and the artistic ties between Mallorca and other cultural centers of the 14th century.