Spanish School. Zamora. Gil de Encimas Circle. First Third of the 16th century Óleo sobre tabla. 118 x 84 cm."The vocation of Saint Peter"Oil on panel. 118 x 84 cm.Como indica la Dra. Fiz, nuestra pintura, que considera de calidad, pertenecería a un autor de la zona de Zamora, cercana a Gil de Encinas (Antiguo maestro del Trascoro de la Catedral) y tiene influencia de Juan de Flandes.Como comparativa estilística nos indica la Dra. Fiz las siguientes obras:“La primera, del retablo de San Adrián del Valle en León, obra de talle, por tanto, de inferior calidad a nuestra pintura, pero aun así las coincidencias son notables. Dos tablas atribuidas a Juan Tejerina, no documentadas, porque no hay documentación que avale la relación de ninguna pintura con Juan de Tejerina, al contrario de lo que ocurre con Gil de Encinas, documentado en el retablo de Horcajo de la Torre y que sirve de base a las posteriores atribuciones como esta".This interesting renaissance panel depicts an episode from the vocation of Saint Paul and Saint Andrew, which Saint Matthew narrates in the following words: “As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.” (Matthew 4, 18-20). The panel is clearly divided into two large spaces: the first with the monumental effigies of the characters, and the background which has a spectacular landscape which is deliciously conceived through bluish tones. In the foreground, the monumental figures of Christ and Saint Peter can be seen. Christ is on the edge of the earth, making a gesture with his right hand to attract the attention of Saint Peter, who solicitously reciprocates by placing his hands in a prayerful attitude. The Christ figure has an extremely elongated canon, wearing a purple tunic and a reddish cloak that he gathers with his other hand at the height of his abdomen, creating a knot with numerous folds. Already in the water, on a curious wooden boat with oars which is surrounded by fish and ducks, since the painter stands out for his wealth of anecdotal details, are the brothers Saint Andrew and Saint Paul who are fishing in the Sea of Galilee, clearly identifiable by their beards and attitudes. Saint Andrew has been characterised with a pointed beard, a concentrated face and continuing with his task of catching fish with the net, fish that the painter has managed to individualize to break the monotony. Saint Andrew has a rounded beard and his baldness is only broken by a small circular lock on his forehead. Seeing Christ, he has left his task and has turned towards him, joining his hands in a devout attitude, receiving the call that Christ makes very subtly with his right hand. The three characters are drawn with accurate and tight brushstrokes that capture the greatest number of details on the characters’ heads, but not so much in the clothes that are somewhat more sketched and crossed by folds of broad curvilinear lines. The features are small, the countenances pensive, and the hands are large. The background of the painting, to which the painter has given great importance, is made up of a splendid misty, bluish mountainous landscape, flanked by large clumps of trees painted with meticulous care. Above the hills is a clear blue sky with threads of cloud at the upper end. The colour is vivid and full of nuances, although the opposite can be observed in Christ and his disciples. There is a striking detail in the grove located on the left side where the anonymous painter has introduced an anecdotal scene which is not at all contemporary to the main event that is narrated on the panel. It seems to be Judas Iscariot hanging from a tree after having betrayed Jesus Christ for thirty pieces of silver. The fact that the panel presents us with such unusual iconography leads us to think that it could have formed part of an altarpiece dedicated to the first Pope in which the set would have illustrated the most relevant episodes of his hagiography. We thank Dr. Irune Fiz Fuertes for the identification and help in cataloguing our panel and Javier Baladrón, PhD in Art History, for the description of this work.
