Majestat Batlló, middle of the 12th century

The images carved in wood constitute one of the fundamental elements of the church as objects of devotion.  One of the types most developed in Catalonia were the Majestats, images of Christ on the Cross which symbolise his triumph after death, among which it is worth highlighting the Majestat Batlló [2]. It is characterised by its solemn character, thanks to a composition marked by the frontal and geometry, and the luxury aspect of the tunics, which remind us of the refined Byzantine or Hispano-Muslim materials.  The modality counted on a major reference, the Volto Santo by Lucca (Tuscany, Italy), an object of extraordinary worship since the end of the 11th century.

A study of the piece has allowed us to discover that, under the current layer of polychrome, the remains are hidden of another older one (between fifty and a hundred years older) of which a virtual reconstruction has been made.  The visible decoration is substantially based on blue and red tones, and on the other hand, in the primitive ones, red mixed with green and yellow predominates

Batlló Majesty [3], Anonymous, mid-12th century