Villalobos's Teacher

MASTER OF VILLALOBOS (active in Castile in the mid-15th century).
“The Annunciation.”
Oil on panel. Cradled.
Approximately 40% of the surface has been restored.
Measurements: 120 x 93.5 cm; 135 x 107 cm (frame).

Attributed to the Master of Villalobos, the composition depicts the theme of the Annunciation using a traditional Gothic style, characterized by rich ornamentation, golden halos, and angular rendering of the folds. Mary appears on the right, wrapped in a wide blue cloak, with her hands clasped and her gaze lowered as she receives the announcement of her divine motherhood. Opposite her stands the figure identified as the archangel Saint Gabriel, dressed in red and accompanied by a phylactery, though his wings remain hidden. The scene is set in an interior of elaborate Gothic architecture, featuring pointed arches, tracery, and a tiled floor that adds depth. The open book next to the Virgin alludes to her devout reading, while the figures with scrolls in the upper section link the episode to the prophecies of the Old Testament. The openings onto a landscape of paths, vegetation, and walled structures enrich the scene, combining a love of detail with the solemn and devotional character of the depiction.

The Master of Villalobos was an anonymous painter active in Castile in the mid-15th century, whose real name is unknown. The historian Chandler Rathfon Post gave him this name based on panels from the altarpiece of the Church of San Félix de Villalobos in Zamora, which are now scattered among various collections. His painting belongs to the International Gothic style and falls within the orbit of Nicolás Francés, a key figure in 15th-century painting in León. His artistic language combines a taste for ornamentation and gilded backgrounds with detailed and expressive religious narrative. Among the works attributed to him is a “Flight into Egypt” at the Soumaya Museum in Mexico, dated around 1450.