"Portable Altar of the Epiphany". Carved, polychromed and gilded wood and alabaster. Castile. Second quarter of the 16th century. Measurements: Closed: 32 x 28 x 7.5 cm.; open: 32 x 38.5 x 7.5 cm.; alabaster: 15.5 x 10.5 cm.; doors: 24 x 9.5 cm each. This small portable altar is an exquisite Renaissance piece from the mid-16th century in which polychromed wood and alabaster, sculpture and painting blend harmoniously. The little altar is actually a triptych: when it is closed, it shows two delicate grisaille paintings on its doors, as is usual in this type of piece; When opened, those same sections display two reliefs of saints while the central piece is made up of a very interesting alabaster sculpture of the Epiphany or Adoration of the Magi, which could be the work of a Mechelen workshop. The framework that contains all these artistic elements is very simple, without any ornament or decoration apart from the two elegant balustraded columns that flank the altar and frame the double painting that is shown when it is closed. This type of small or larger altars corresponds to a clear devotional typology which was made to satisfy the need of certain people with sufficient purchasing power to own a piece of this kind.  It would have been placed in a small chapel or oratory  in their home. Beginning with the paintings on the exterior, which, as we have already pointed out, are grisaille, we can see that a beardless saint has been portrayed on each of the doors within a micro-architecture consisting of a niche with a semicircular finish that serves to give the sensation of depth to the scene and corporeality to the saints. Between both niches, in the upper part, there seems to be a kind of oculus or clypeus. On the left door there is a bishop saint dressed in the pontifical robes associated to his status, mitre and crosier, while under his left armpit he holds a closed book. With his right hand he seems to be holding a ribbon. On the right door is a saint who is the complete opposite of his companion, since if he seems to have decided to renounce the role of bishop, denoted by the staff and mitre which appear lying on the ground.  He wears a tunic and a kind of cap that hides his ears. Both saints have been painted in detail, showing small, angular facial features and pensive countenances. The hands, which are very delicate, are expressive and the fingers appear clenched. When the doors are opened we find the central motif of the triptych altar, a delicate alabaster relief of the Epiphany that is carved in different gradations to try to give depth to the scene.  This is also helped by the bas-relief architecture in the background that consists of pillars that support semicircular arches, partly covered by a canopy tied with a bow. This type of alabaster sculpture enjoyed great popularity during the 16th century. As was customary even in the 16th century, Saint Joseph has been portrayed as an old man slightly removed from the main scene, so much so that a very undefined bas-relief has also been used for him. The central group is carved in high relief with some parts completely free-standing.  It is made up of the Virgin Mary seated with the Child, with a classicist appearance reminiscent of Roman matrons, and before them are the three Wise Men: Melchior, with a bearded appearance, bending down to offer Jesus the gold while standing behind him, young and beardless Caspar and Balthasar wait to offer the incense and myrrh. The garments are luxurious and feature shallow but gentle, curved folds. Balthasar's attire is especially noteworthy since the author has endowed him with a turban, instead of a crown, as well as some kind of animal heads on his shoulders and knees. Finally, the inner part of the doors shows two saints who held the status of queens, as indicated by the fact that their heads are crowned. As was the case with the saints on the outside, the saints are also found inside micro-architecture, although on this occasion the niches are topped by shells, a typically Renaissance detail. Both wear luxurious dresses that are very tight on the torso, giving them a remarkable elegance, to which the postures in which they have been conceived also contribute. The saint on the left door, who carries an open book in her left hand, is Saint Catherine of Alexandria, as indicated by the presence of her most characteristic attributes: the sword and the spiked wheel, instruments of her successive martyrdom, and the body of a defeated man at her feet who must be the Emperor Maxentius, her persecutor. On the other door on the right we find another saint with the same formal characteristics, although her clothing has changed somewhat. In her left hand she carries a closed book while in her left she holds an a bow and arrow. We do not know who it may be, perhaps due to the rarity of these attributes it may be a saint of local or regional devotion which, in turn, would indicate the place for which this precious portable altar was carved. As a curiosity, on the back of the altarpiece there are a series of inscriptions, some illegible and others legible, such as the one that says ““S.DonGregorio” and “Lopez”, which perhaps alludes to the owner for whom this exquisite piece was made. We would like to thank Mr. Javier Baladrón, PhD in Art History, for identifying and cataloguing this piece.