What was the Castilian Tabernacle-Altarpiece in the Met Cloisters? Proposals for its Function and Context

Abstract

A set of three Castilian panel paintings of the late 13th century is usually on display in the Met Cloisters in New York. These paintings, of unknown provenance, have long been recognized as part of a tabernacle-altarpiece or tabernacle shrine, but in spite of this and their relatively good condition, they have attracted little attention in studies on Gothic painting in Castile. Recent scholarship on tabernacle shrines provides a new basis for their research. By analyzing the panels’ most unique feature (the depiction of small-scale scenes offering a cycle of the Passion, visible when the altarpiece was closed), and through comparison with other contemporary works, this article proposes a possible context and use for this important example of early Gothic painting in Castile.