THE LIFE OF THE VIRGIN ALTARPIECE

STYLE 

Two quite different styles may be appreciated, as was first suggested and later ratified by F. Wattenberg. The faces in the reliefs of the Birth of the Virgin and the Annunciation scenarios are fleshy with very plump cheeks, small open oval-shaped eyes with defined eyelids under sharply-drawn eyebrows and small wide noses and mouths. The figures have rather naïve expressions, except that of St. Joachim (San Joaquín), Father of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is sitting beside the fire in the relief of the Birth of the Holy Virgin.

The different combinations of figures in the other reliefs depict more firmly defined people whose expressions are much more expressive and personalised. Male faces have prominent cheekbones, wrinkled brows and the treatment of their hair and beards is quite varied, to the point of being exaggeratedly dramatic in the figures of Christ and the thief. Female faces are less angular with more serenely contained, elegant expressions. In both cases, however, a great deal of care has been taken with the fine details of the profusely pleated garments.