THE CORONATION OF THE VIRGIN ALTARPIECE

POLYCHROME DECORATION 

Balanced and colourful polychrome decoration with a predominance of burnished gilt, brilliant red glazes and blue azurite. To a lesser degree, the whites of faces, veils and mantels accentuates the contrast. Matte gilt covers rough surfaces and the ground is either decorated with tiles in interiors or imitation vegetation in exteriors. Flesh tones are pale, delicately shaded and sober with individual peculiarities depending upon the figure they decorate. 

Decorative techniques:

• Punchwork with patterns of shields, plant motifs and rhomboid-shaped meshes. 

• Gold painted on azurite. 

• Blue, red and white Sgraffito applied to gilt and white and pink and pale blue on silver with geometric and plant motifs. 

• Sgraffito inscriptions.

• Gilt continuous applied brocade on garments and altars with waxy filler, uniform vertical fluted relief and pattern painted in red and blue (two different designs).

• Local gilt applied brocade on red glaze and silver (three different models identified).