Christ Leading the Patriarchs to the Paradise

Bartolomé Bermejo was the greatest Spanish painter of the fifteenth century, whose extraordinary command of oil painting technique rivaled and sometimes surpassed the finest Netherlandish masters. This Christ Leading the Patriarchs to the Paradise was created around 1480 and is now held at the Amatller Institute of Hispanic Art. The tempera medium required careful preparation on a gessoed panel and a disciplined layering technique that produced precise, durable surfaces suited to the intricate detail expected of devotional painting.

Oil on panel with Bermejo's extraordinary mastery of luminous atmospheric effects and technical brilliance. The work demonstrates the artistic qualities characteristic of Bartolomé Bermejo's period.