Attributed to Juan de Montejo (Salamanca, 1555 - Alba de Tormes, 1601) “The Betrothal of the Virgin Mary” and 'The Epiphany' Wonderful pair of carved, gilded, polychrome wooden reliefs, with silver leaf. Reliefs measurements: 92 x 58 cm. With frame: 108 x 74 cm.   These two exceptional reliefs, dedicated to the Betrothal of the Virgin Mary and the Adoration of the Magi or Epiphany, must have originally belonged to an unfinished altarpiece dedicated to the Virgin Mary and probably originated in the province of Zamora, Spain. The stylistic characteristics of both reliefs make it clear that they were carved by the skillful gouges of the sculptor Juan de Montejo (1555-1601), who lived and developed his career between his home town and Zamora, making images for other nearby towns such as Alba de Tormes or Medina del Campo. It is not only in the figures that compose both reliefs that the stylistic features of this master can be perceived, but also that both sculptures are almost identical to two reliefs of analogous themes that Montejo himself made for a disappeared altarpiece for the church of San Juan de Puerta in Zamora. The similarity even extends to the measurements. Precisely the similarity between the compositions of the Zamora reliefs and these that we present breaks an axiom: until now in the productive catalog of the Salamanca sculptor no repetitions have been found, in other words, he never made copies of his own compositions, but when he treated a theme on several occasions all of the sculptures were different versions, never identical. This particularity gives these reliefs an even greater value than they already possess intrinsically on the basis of their high technical quality. Both scenes are conceived with clear compositions, without artifice, so that the congregation can understand what is being shown, a characteristic that the Council of Trent considered indispensable when conceiving sculptures. Likewise, these are compositions that tend to symmetry, compensating the volumes from a central motif: Caspar in the case of the Epiphany, and the High Priest in the case of the Presentation. The characters show the corpulence and monumentality characteristic of Romanism, the Renaissance, Mannerist style in which Montejo's production is included.   To this is added the elegance and dynamism characteristic of the influence on his work of the style of the sculptor Juan de Juni´s style, in whose environment he must have been trained. They are figures covered with heavy folded garments and rounded profiles, with tousled curly hair and soft, calm faces. For their part, the men show the usual beards sculpted by Montejo: bulky and with forked ends. The first of the reliefs depicts the Nuptials of the Virgin. It is conceived through rigorous symmetry that places the High Priest in the center and St. Joseph and the Virgin Mary on either side with their hands joined to show how the union between them was sealed. On the upper part, above the heads of both and at the height of the High Priest's head, two heads are distributed on each side. On the right those of two men and on the left those of two women, all of them with varied physical types and different ways of portraying their hair and clothing. The head of the High Priest and the elegance with which the Holy Spouses gather their respective mantles are particularly interesting. On the other hand, the relief of the Epiphany shows the Holy Family on the right side, while the Magi fill the left side, with the exception of Caspar who is placed in the center and shows that the composition was conceived in the shape of an “X”. The Virgin, who serves as a throne, is seated and picks up her Son with both hands.  He is naked and gives blessing to the Kings while being adored by Melchior who affectionately caresses his right foot. The Kings appear with the cups in which they bring their gifts: gold, incense and myrrh. The set is carved in different levels of relief, so while the group of the Virgin, Melchior and Balthazar have some parts of their bodies that are almost freestanding.  There are other cases such as those of Caspar or St. Joseph that are just reliefs in which the heads protrude. Once again we see again the characteristics previously mentioned with regard to the physical types and clothing. As we have already pointed out, both reliefs are fully attributable to Juan de Montejo, who carved them around 1600, perhaps at the end of the 16th century, at a date close to the reliefs of identical subject matter that we have pointed out in the church of San Juan de Puerta Nueva in Zamora.   We would like to thank Dr. Javier Baladrón, doctor in History of Art, for the identification and cataloguing of this work.