The Gothic Tablet
Bulbuente has in its parish church important works of art from the nearby monastery of Veruela since, when it was disentailed, its rich heritage was scattered among the different possessions.
Our Lady of the Angels
But what is really interesting are the facts that date back to 1954, when the altarpiece of the church of Bulbuente underwent a restoration. It was at that time that the work was sent to the workshop of José Bardolet from Barcelona. However, the piece never returned to its place of origin.
Our Lady of the Angels is a 206 x 129 cm panel and could be the original work of Enrique de Estenco, one of the great Gothic painters who left evidence of his art in the Crown of Aragon. Enrique de Estenco, or Enrique de Bruselas, made different creations for the collegiate church of Daroca, the cathedral of Valencia, the church of San Felipe in Zaragoza and the church of Longares.
The piece presents the Virgin seated on a throne of gothic woodwork, surrounded by three angels. In one hand she shows a flower and, in the other arm, she presents the Child Jesus in an attitude of blessing. The donor, Saint Apollonia, Saint Bernard, Saint Lucy, Saint Benedict and Saint Agnes, among others, are also portrayed.
This work was recovered by agents of the Historical Heritage Brigade of the National Police.
History
The painting that was in Bulbuente before 1954 was in a bad state of conservation, however, the panel that has now been intervened by the Historical Heritage Brigade is in quite good condition, so everything points to the fact that it was restored. The police investigation began when the Brigade received a communication from the Ministry of Culture about the request of a private individual to export the panel. Due to the value of the piece, 180,000 euros180,000 euros, the agents requested a report from the Museo del Prado, which concluded that this panel, or a suspiciously similar one or a suspiciously similar one was in the church of Bulbuente.
After requesting several reports to the diocesan delegates of Heritage, it was found that the table that is in the town of Zaragoza was a copy. And that it had replaced the original in 1954, taking advantage of the fact that it had been removed for restoration.
The investigations led the agents of the National Police to intervene the original work and to take a statement from its current owner, who indicated that the piece had been acquired in 1980 in an auction room in Barcelona. The judicial process that begins now will be long and will be in charge of the Court of Instruction No. 1 of Tarazona. A study will also be carried out by experts from the General Directorate of Culture of the Government of Aragon, who will confirm the originality of the piece.
It was the owner himself who handed over the work without any problem, considering that it was the original and that it had been acquired legitimately. As it is not a case of extreme urgency, the coming procedures may take longer. The analysis of the wood of the support, as well as the pictorial pigments, will be definitive to clarify what happened to the original work.