Lluís Dalmau

Virgin of the Consellers, ca. 1443–1445, now in the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya

Lluís Dalmau (also spelled Luis Dalmau; Valencia?, c. 1400 – Barcelona?, c. 1460) was a Spanish painter associated with the Hispano-Flemish style of the 15th century. He played a pivotal role in introducing Netherlandish realism into Catalan Gothic painting.[1] He was active in Barcelona from 1428 to 1460 and served the king of Spain in an official capacity.[2] In 1431, King Alfonso V sent him to Flanders to learn the language of realist painting. He made a copy of the Adoration of the Lamb by Hubert and Jan van Eyck; in 1432, this was placed in St Bavo's Cathedral, Ghent.[2] The next year, he had returned to Barcelona.[2] In 1443, Dalmau was commissioned to paint the Virgin of the Consellers altarpiece for the chapel of the City Hall, which he completed in 1445; this is perhaps the only known work of his to survive.[2] In 1445, he also painted a Virgin and Child in the style of Jan van Eyck, which is in the church of San Miguel at Barcelona.[3]

St. Baudilus, now at the Church of St. Baldiri, in Sant Boi de Llobregat, near Barcelona

Biography

Lluís Dalmau was probably born in Valencia around the beginning of the 15th century, although exact details of his birth and early life remain uncertain.[1]

The earliest records of the artistic activity of Lluís Dalmau date from 1428 and note his Valencian origin and that by then he already belonged to the “household of the lord king,” Alfonso the Magnanimous, who sent him to the Kingdom of Castile in 1428.[4]

In 1431, Dalmau received 100 gold florins to cover the expenses he would incur in traveling to Flanders, accompanied by the royal master of tapestries, who would facilitate contacts with Flemish artists.[5]

Dalmau’s stay in Flanders is estimated to have lasted close to five years, since the artist is mentioned again in July 1436, when he was paid wages and materials for the decoration of a tent made in Valencia by order of the king. It is also thought that there may have been another trip to Flanders between 1438 and 1443, the year the contract for the altarpiece of the Virgin of the Councillors was signed, a period for which there are no records of the painter.[4]

After completing this work, he continued to reside in Barcelona, and on 15 September 1448 he was commissioned to produce the altarpiece of Saint Baldiri of Sant Boi de Llobregat.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b "Luis Dalmau". BiografiasyVidas.com (in Spanish). Biografias y Vidas. Retrieved 2026-02-16. Overview of life and works of the Spanish painter Luis/Lluís Dalmau
  2. ^ a b c d Lesberg, Sandy, ed. (1974) [1966]. "Glossary of Gothic Art". Gothic Art. New York: Peebles Press International. ISBN 0-85690-033-8. OCLC 2163980.
  3. ^ Bryan, Michael (1886). "Dalmau, Lodovico". In Graves, Robert Edmund (ed.). Bryan's Dictionary of Painters and Engravers (A–K). Vol. I (3rd ed.). London: George Bell & Sons.
  4. ^ a b c "Lluís Dalmau y la influencia". ruizquesada.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  5. ^ --, -- (2009). "El pintor Luís Dalmau. Nuevos datos biográficos". Locus Amoenus (in Spanish). 10 (2009–2010). Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona: 39–62. Retrieved 20 February 2026. {{cite journal}}: |last= has numeric name (help)
  • Public Domain This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Bryan, Michael (1886). "Dalmau, Lodovico". In Graves, Robert Edmund (ed.). Bryan's Dictionary of Painters and Engravers (A–K). Vol. I (3rd ed.). London: George Bell & Sons.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.