The Wedding of Saint Alexis or Wedding scene (?)
AUTHOR
Garcia Fernandes (c. 1495-c. 1565), ativ. 1514-1541
PLACE/DATE
Portugal, 1541
MATERIALS
Óleo sobre madeira
DIMENSIONS
210 x 165 cm
INV
PIN.54
This work was for a long time interpreted as representing the marriage of Manuel I (1469-1521) to Leonor of Austria (1498-1558), which took place in 1518.
But chronological aspects related to the lives of King Manuel I and Álvaro da Costa (ca.1470-1540), identified in the painting by an inscription, contradict this proposal and suggest a new reading of the work, interpreting it as a marriage of St. Alexis. This association is made due to the iconographic affinities between this painting and another one in the chapel in Montemor-o-Novo dedicated to the saint. In any case, the basis of both compositions seems to be inspired by Hans Burgkmair's (1473-1531) engraving of the marriage of Emperor Maximilian I (1459-1519) to Mary of Burgundy (1457-1482) in 1477.
