ENGLISH RELIEF WITH DEPICTION OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST
Christian Middle Ages
ENGLISH RELIEF WITH DEPICTION OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST
Alabaster.
Height: 54.5 cm. Width: 26 cm. Thickness: 4 cm.
Late Medieval Christian. Between 1450 and 1470.
Origin
Antiguo Hospital de la Sangre. Jerez de la Frontera. Cádiz.
Description
English alabaster relief that may have been intended to form part of an altarpiece. It depicts the Resurrection of Christ, here based on the tradition of the Gospel of Matthew, which is the only one that mentions guards next to the tomb. The symmetrical composition shows us Jesus leaving the tomb between four soldiers and two angels. The figure of Jesus appears with his head tilted, displaying the wound on his right hand whilst the left holds the standard cross. Dressed only in a cloth of purity and his back covered by the shroud, he is supporting his right foot on the shoulder of a sleeping soldier whose halberd is lying in the forefront, whilst his left leg remains inside the tomb. In addition to this alabaster piece, another two examples of the same origin have also been conserved in Jerez: one in the iglesia de Santiago (church of Santiago) and the second in the convento de Espíritu Santo (monastery of the Holy Spirit). Due to the few number of pieces that exist in Andalusia (nine in total), this volume is indicative of the significant commercial relationship that our city enjoyed with England.
Bibliography
- Cómez, R. (1993): “Un alabastro de Nottingham en Jerez de la Frontera”. Atrio nº 6, pp 89-91.
- Martín Mochales, C. (2006): “Restauración del relieve en alabastro procedente del Asilo de San José. Jerez de la Frontera”. Revista de Historia de Jerez nº 11-12, pp. 197-219.
