Catalogue

THE NATIVITY ALTARPIECE

OBSERVATIONS 

Despite its somewhat fragmented and delicate state of conservation, the altarpiece in question accurately reflects the conservative trend of Brussels woodcarving dating from the second third of the XV century, exactly as Robert Didier observed. The altarpiece of considerable interest is much larger than analogous works such as those frequently-mentioned altarpieces by Rieden and Funchal.

References appearing in the Monumental Catalogue of the Province of Burgos alluding to Burgos Cathedral's VII Centenary Exhibition are contradictory: the first refers to a wooden Visitation scene and identifies it as being the piece catalogued with numbered reference 710, which, in actual fact, refers to a group of Gothic-style carved figures depicting Jesus in the arms of His Mother. Unfortunately, neither reference included images of the three previously-mentioned reliefs that would have helped us determine the date of manufacture of the altarpiece with any accuracy.