Pax-board of the Marquis de Comares

by Rodrigo de León

Documentary sources allow us to know that the iconographic scenes featured on the main fronts of the pieces were established from the outset. Thus, on one of the pax-boards we see the Assumption of the Virgin, and on the other is the scene of the Incredulity of Saint Thomas.

These pax-boards are structured like small altarpieces, on which elements such as the bases, adorned in enamels and precious stones, and the columns that flank the semi-circular arches and house the main themes can be made out. Moreover, as if it were a top, there are tympanum decorated with enamels and the allegorical representations of the virtues, presided over by the figure of Charity.

The composition and style of these pax-boards are much closer to the Mannerism models than the Renaissance ones. Specifically they take from the architectural language of Palladio, disseminated through images and etchings that would arrive from the hands of the silversmith Rodrigo de León. However, other theories point to the inspiration being from designs based on the work of Vignola or serliano designs.