A Spanish retablo in Utrecht: material-technical analysis of the 15th century altarpiece from De Haar castle
Marya Albrecht, Ella Hendriks
De Haar Castle (Utrecht, the Netherlands) owns an ensemble of eight paintings, showing scenes from the life of Mary, originating from an altarpiece dedicated to the Virgin. The panels are currently attributed to an anonymous master from Catalonia and dated to the first half of the 15th century. They were most likely acquired at the beginning of the 20th century, after the remodelling of De Haar Castle was completed. Apart from this information, nothing is known about the paintings, so far, they are largely overlooked by specialists and the general public alike. This paper will present the results of a material-technical analysis of the panels, focusing on the changes the altarpiece underwent when it was taken out of its original location and ended up in Utrecht.