The restoration of the altarpiece of Sant Pere de Púbol was carried out in 2002 on the occasion of the exhibition “Bernat Martorell and the Autumn of Catalan Gothic”, in commemoration of the 550th anniversary of the death of the famous Catalan painter.
The altarpiece is a work of the 15th century, made around 1437, and was commissioned by the lord of Púbol, Bernat de Corbera, for the high altar of the church of his town. The altarpiece is preserved complete, except for the dust cover and the tabernacle. The side scenes narrate the life and martyrdom of Saint Peter, who is represented “in a chair” in the central panel. Next to the main figure of the saint, Martorell painted the donors, kneeling and in an attitude of prayer: the knight Bernat de Corbera, his wife Margarida de Campllong and their son, Francesc de Corbera.
In the restoration carried out, a conservative criterion was followed, aimed at achieving a unified vision of the altarpiece, and for this reason it was necessary to homogenize all previous restorations and thus be able to carry out a more precise reading and interpretation of the work.
The monographic publication edited by the Art Museum details the various restorations detected, corresponding to different periods in history, as well as the restoration processes carried out and the analyses of the pigments and other materials present in the work.
Link to the magazine “Rescat” which talks about the Púbol Altarpiece
