Altarpiece of Saint Jerome, Saint Martin and Saint Sebastian

Jaume Ferrer II's Altarpiece of Saint Jerome, Saint Martin and Saint Sebastian, dated around 1450 and now in the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, is a mature work of the Catalan school as it was absorbing Flemish influence in the mid-fifteenth century. Ferrer was active in Lleida and represents the provincial Catalan tradition adapting to new influences from the north. The pairing of Jerome — the scholarly translator — Martin — the soldier-bishop — and Sebastian — the martyr — was unusual and suggests a specific donor context. The work demonstrates how provincial Catalan painters absorbed the new Flemish naturalism while maintaining local Gothic conventions.

Ferrer employs gold grounds with figure modeling that shows awareness of Flemish three-dimensionality, a transitional quality characteristic of mid-century Catalan painting. The three saints are individually characterized through their standard attributes with clear iconographic legibility. Colors are bold and warm in the Catalan tradition.