Le martyre de Saint Vincent

Miguel Alcaniz the Elder painted this Martyrdom of Saint Vincent for the Louvre. Alcaniz was a Valencian painter active in the early fifteenth century whose work reflects the International Gothic style that flourished in the Crown of Aragon. The tempera-on-panel medium required a carefully gessoed surface and was painted in fine, precise layers, yielding a luminous, jewel-like surface of great durability.

The martyrdom panel demonstrates the vivid narrative style of early Valencian painting with bright colors, gold backgrounds, and the expressive figural approach characteristic of the International Gothic tradition.