VISUAL THEOLOGY

Fragments (3) of The great Ayala Altarpiece, commissioned 1396. This alterpice is made up of 15 scenes that show the story of Christ’s life. It depicts the Adoration of the Magi, or kings, from the Christian story about three kings who journeyed, following a star, to bring gifts to the newborn Christ Child. Each scene is accompanied by words found in the borders and separated or framed by columns. The altarpiece was made more than 600 years ago for a Spanish nobleman named Don Pedro López de Ayala to be placed in his funerary chapel. Wearing clothes of the time, Don Pedro and his son appear in one scene. The artist who painted this altarpiece is unknown. During medieval times, many works of art were left unsigned because art was considered a craft, much like carpentry or metalsmithing. It was not until the Renaissance that artists regularly began signing their work and became widely recognized for their individual creative talents ■