Renaissance masterpiece finds new home

A recently rediscovered Renaissance painting has gone on display in County Durham.

The Spanish Gallery in Bishop Auckland has acquired The Marriage of the Virgin, a 15th century panel painting by Italian artist Paolo da San Leocadio, who played a key role in introducing Renaissance art to Spain.

Dating back to 1492, the work has been identified as part of the main altarpiece created for the Church of Santa María de Castellón, in the Spanish province of Valencia.

Its acquisition is particularly significant following the Museo del Prado’s recent purchase of The Agony in the Garden, another painting by San Leocadio from the same altarpiece.

Born in northern Italy in 1447, San Leocadio travelled to Valencia in 1472 under the patronage of the notorious Cardinal Alejandro Borja, who later became Pope Alexander VI.

He went on to become an influential figure in Spanish art, introducing Italian Renaissance techniques and styles that helped shape the country's artistic development.

Morlin Ellis, research curator at the Spanish Gallery, said: “The addition to the Spanish Gallery of this painting of The Marriage of the Virgin by one of the most important artists working in Spain in the late 15th century is particularly exciting.

“Not only is it a beautiful work of art but its identification with the same important altarpiece as a work recently acquired by the Prado places the Spanish Gallery in Bishop Auckland alongside one of the greatest art collections in the world.

“We are delighted that visitors to Bishop Auckland will now be able to discover this exceptional work and the beginnings of the Renaissance in Spain for themselves.”

Opened in 2021, the Spanish Gallery is the UK’s only museum dedicated entirely to Spanish art, history and culture.

Located in Bishop Auckland’s historic Market Place, the four-storey attraction houses works from the Spanish Golden Age, including paintings by El Greco, Velázquez and Zurbarán.

The gallery, which was officially inaugurated in April 2022 by Queen Letizia of Spain and the then-Prince of Wales, now King Charles III, forms part of The Auckland Project’s wider efforts to regenerate Bishop Auckland through art, heritage and tourism.

Other attractions operated by the regeneration charity include Auckland Palace, the Mining Art Gallery, the Faith Museum and the surrounding gardens and Deer Park.

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