Spanish Romanesque designates the Romanesque art developed in the Hispanic-Christian kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula in the 11th and 12th centuries. Its stylistic features are essentially common to the European Romanesque although it developed particular characteristics in the different regions of the peninsula. There is no Romanesque art in the southern half of the peninsula because it remained under Muslim rule (Al-Andalus). The examples of Romanesque buildings in the central area of the peninsula are sparse and of the latest period, with virtually no presence south of the Ebro and the Tagus. Most Romanesque buildings can be found in the northern third of the peninsula. Romanesque art was introduced into the peninsula from east to west, so scholars have usually defined regional characteristics accordingly: the "eastern kingdoms" comprising the Pyrenean areas, Catalan Romanesque, Aragonese Romanesque and Navarrese Romanesque, and the "western kingdoms" comprising Castilian-Leonese Romanesque, Asturian Romanesque, Galician Romanesque and Portuguese Romanesque.
The First Romanesque or Lombard Romanesque is specially present in Catalonia, while the full Romanesque spread from the foundations of the Order of Cluny along the axis of the Camino de Santiago. The late-romanesque of the 13th century, can be found specially in rural buildings.[1]
From the 11th century the European artistic influence, specially from the Burgundian Cluniac monasteries and the Lombard monasteries, was superimposed on local artistic traditions such as "Pre-Romanesque, Visigothic art, Asturian art, Mozarabic art and Repoblación art) as well as Andalusi art, also called Hispanic Muslim, and cohabited with the so-called Mudéjar Romanesque (or "Romanesque of brick") dominant in some areas such as the centre of the northern plateau – from Sahagún to Cuéllar – Toledo or Teruel, giving rise to an art of strong personality.
Few but notable are the churches of central plan, which are often associated with models from the Holy Land brought by the military orders. The main examples are the church of Saint Mary of Eunate in Navarre, the church of the Holy Sepulchre (Torres del Río) and the church of the Vera Cruz (Segovia).[3]
The round bulge carvings that have been preserved in polychrome wood usually depict either the Christ crucified in the type called Majesty or the Madonna with Child in the type called sedes sapientiae ("Seat of Wisdom"). An exceptional sculptural group is the Davallament of Sant Joan de les Abadesses, which shows the transition to the Gothic style.[6]
Spanish Romanesque can boast some outstanding frescoes such as the Pantheon of the Kings of San Isidoro (León), retained 'in situ', or those removed from their original locations such as San Baudelio de Berlanga and the hermitage of la Vera Cruz (Maderuelo), both in the Prado, and the collection assembled in the National Art Museum of Catalonia.[7]
The Ivory carving of Andalusian influence developed an important workshop at the Leonese court.
Goldsmiths produced elaborated pieces such as the Cáliz de las Ágatas also called "of Doña Urraca" -ca 1063-[9] and the Ark of San Isidoro. Some artists incorporated the Limoges enamels technique as can be seen in the Frontal of Santo Domingo de Silos).[10]
Areas
Examples ordered geographically, from east to west
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