Hispano-Flemish school of the 16th century. "Saint... Lot 50

Hispano-Flemish school of the 16th century. "Saint Augustine with a Donor" and "Saint Anne". Pair of oil paintings on panel. The panels have old xylophages and two cracks in the panel of Saint Anne. The painting has craquelures. Measurements: 82.5 x 30 cm and 83 x 30 cm. Formal stylisation, the elegance of the drawing and its subordination to chromatic plasticity converge in this panel, faithful in all respects to the late Gothic and Renaissance tradition of the Hispano-Flemish school. In one of the panels, Saint Augustine, dressed as a doctor of the Church, wearing a mitre and a gold brocade cloak, is accompanied by a donor, who stands at a lower level, praying before the open Scriptures on a table. The pleats and pleats of the tunic have been painstakingly reproduced. In the other panel, Saint Anne holds the Virgin and Jesus in her arms, thus nestling into each other in harmony. Subtle shifts of light model the bodies. The figure of Saint Anne is set in the vertical format of the canvas, which gives her monumentality but does not detract from her tender gestures and gestures. In the background there are hints of vegetation. The Hispano-Flemish school was characterised by the great influence of the Flemish primitives, which survived in Spain for a long time, largely due to the political and cultural ties between the two countries. Flemish painting was, in the 15th century, the most advanced in Europe, and influenced all national schools, including Italian. It was considered an art of great refinement, with works executed and treated like jewels. This consideration was also due to the very rich materials used in its execution, as well as to the richness of the assemblages of the panels, which, as we can see here, were of great richness. The features of the Hispano-Flemish school are similar to those of Flemish painting, starting with the main concern of the Flemish painters, the search for reality above all else. In connection with this desire, great attention was paid to the quality of the objects and to the smallest details, which were often symbolically charged. The iconography is still mainly religious, and the scenes are dominated by a correct, precise and very meticulous drawing. In the same way, they also tried to capture the truest possible illumination, whether artificial or natural, always modelling the flesh tones and producing chiaroscuro to a greater or lesser degree.