Altarpiece of Saint Martin - The ordination of Saint Martin

The Ordination of Saint Martin depicts the ceremony in which Martin received holy orders — either his initial ordination under Hilary of Poitiers or his later episcopal consecration as Bishop of Tours. Ordination scenes were less common in Martinian iconography than the Charity or the Dream, but they had a place in comprehensive altarpiece programmes that traced the saint's biography from military service through religious vocation to episcopal authority. For a Castilian parish dedicated to Saint Martin, the ordination panel reinforced the sacramental authority of the priesthood and episcopate.

Oil or tempera on panel. The ordination ceremony's visual requirements — bishop laying hands on the kneeling candidate, assembled clergy — follow formal conventions of liturgical scene painting. Vestment detail is important both for theological accuracy and as a demonstration of the workshop's ability to render complex textile patterns.