Bartolomé Bermejo was one of the most remarkable painters of the late Gothic period, developing a language of his own that was strongly rooted in Flemish painting techniques. In his work, several elements are particularly notable: the construction of space and perspective, illusionistic effects, and the individualisation of figures. Martín Bernat was one of the leading painters of late 15th-century Aragon. Strong modelling and highly individualised figures are characteristic of his work. Bermejo and Bernat worked together on several commissions.
The present panel, executed by Bermejo in collaboration with Bernat, belonged to the altarpiece commissioned in 1479 by Juan de Lobera for the Chapel of the Visitation in the cloister of the Church of Santa María del Pilar in Zaragoza.
“On the second tier of this altarpiece dedicated to Our Lady of Mercy is the outstanding painting now in the Casacuberta Marsans Collection, depicting the two Aragonese martyr saints, Saint Vincent and Saint Lawrence, both of whom have long enjoyed deep popular devotion in their native region.
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This painting shows exceptional technical mastery in the rendering of textiles and drapery, in the depiction of the protagonists’ physiognomies—characterised by both physical presence and psychological depth—and in the representation of all types of jewellery, including brooches, necklaces, diadems, and other ornaments, reproduced with remarkable realism. Bermejo was a good specialist, as this work clearly shows. During his time in Aragon, he taught Bernat the technical and stylistic principles of the great Netherlandish masters, such as Petrus Christus, Rogier van der Weyden, and Dieric Bouts, which Bernat would later incorporate in his own work, both independently and in collaboration with other painters, with outstanding results.”
Ortiz Valero, Nuria , “La Vírgen de la misericordia» en Sesma Muñoz, José Ángel (coord.). Fernando II de Aragón. El rey que imaginó España y la abrió a Europa (catálogo de la exposición), Zaragoza, 2015, p. 302.