Altarpiece. South of France, late 15th-early 16th century.

Altarpiece. South of France, late 15th-early 16th century.
"Calvary".
In carved, gilded and polychrome wood.
Back wooden support.
Measurements: 38 x 46,5 cm; 41,5 x 50 cm (back).

This small altarpiece of private devotion, coming from the south of France, is an eloquent testimony of the artistic style of the period of transition between the late Gothic and the first Renaissance. Made of carved wood, it is structured as a triptych, with a main scene flanked by two standing saints.

The central scene represents the Crucifixion of Christ. The figure of Jesus, with a thin and marked anatomy, shows the suffering of the Passion. His head, with the crown of thorns, falls inertly to one side, and his purity cloth is artistically knotted. At his feet, a skull and bones allude to Golgotha. Flanking the cross are the Virgin Mary, on the left, with her hands joined in a gesture of contained pain, and St. John the Evangelist, on the right, with a book in his hand, contemplating his master. The background, decorated with golden fleurs-de-lis on a dark field, symbolizes Christ's royalty and purity, as well as being an emblem of the French monarchy.

On the side panels, under three-lobed Gothic arches, are two figures: a holy bishop (pontifically dressed with mitre, crosier and chasuble) and a Franciscan saint linked to the Cathedral of Toulouse. He is identified by the habit of the order. He holds a golden orb or disk, which could symbolize the world or the Eucharist, reflecting the devotion of the order.

The piece is stylistically framed in late Gothic, with clear influences of the art that developed in Flanders and Burgundy, very connected to the south of France at that time.

The architectural structure with the three-lobed pointed arches and the openwork tracery in the lower part are unmistakably Gothic. The figures show the typical expressive dramatism of the period, visible in the faces and postures of the Virgin and St. John. The robes show angular and abundant folds, although with a certain rigidity, characteristic of late 15th century sculpture.