Artistic connections in post-Reconquista Catalunya Nova: three capitals in the Cathedral of Tortosa

Two capitals placed in the cloister of the cathedral of Santa Maria of Tortosa (Spain) are among the few sculptural remains of the former Romanesque cathedral which was levelled between 1428 and 1703 for the construction of the extant Gothic building. The capitals, each formed by two fragments assembled together, depicting scenes of the Life of Christ, were positioned in the portal accessing the cloister garth in 1848, while the original location of the sculptures within the cathedral complex is still uncertain. Based on iconographic and stylistic comparisons the pieces can be dated to 1270. The artefacts present strong similarities with other pieces scattered around the region (some of which are still unpublished); this corpus of sculptures includes another capital kept in the cathedral museum and also the sculptural decoration of the Porta de l’Epistola of the cathedral of Tarragona. This paper will suggest the presence of an artist or a workshop active in Catalonia around the second half of the 13th century.