Der heilige Dominikus von Silos als thronender Bischof

In 1474 Bartolomé Bermejo signed a contract to paint a towering altarpiece for a church in Daroca, in Aragon, and this enthroned bishop was its centrepiece. Bermejo was the rare Spaniard of his day who painted in oils the Flemish way, layering thin glazes until velvet, gold thread and gemstones look almost touchable. Saint Dominic sits in bishop's robes on a gilded throne, and set into its little niches are the seven virtues, each a small figure in its own right. The commission did not go smoothly. Bermejo fell into legal disputes with the patrons and walked away before finishing, leaving his pupil Martín Bernat to complete the rest of the altarpiece.