Virgin of the Porziuncola

Jacomart's Virgin of the Porziuncola, painted around 1450 and now in the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, depicts one of the most significant sites of Franciscan spirituality — the tiny chapel near Assisi where Francis of Assisi received his calling and where the Franciscan indulgence, the Pardon of Assisi, was first granted to the faithful. Jacomart (Jaume Baçó) was the leading painter in Valencia in the mid-fifteenth century, holding the prestigious role of court painter to Alfonso V of Aragon, whose Neapolitan court exposed him to Flemish and Italian influence.

Oil and tempera on panel with refined, courtly execution. The Virgin is presented with characteristic Valencian elegance — refined facial features, elaborate drapery with subtle Flemish-derived folds. The chapel setting provides spatial depth unusual in Valencian devotional painting.