The name – Master of Cabestany - was invented in 1944, by the art historian Josep Gudiol. But who was the Master of Cabestany? Where did he come from? All this information remains hidden to us, but we can get to know him through his works of art (about twenty) spread between Catalonia, Languedoc, Roussillon and Tuscany. The master of Cabestany (a tiny town near Perpignan – France) is a wandering sculptor. Many of his works were realised for Benedictine monasteries. Most probably he travelled with his atelier, according to the custom of the epoch, in order to comply with the demands of the monks.
This sculptor is a ‘key personage’ to 12th century Mediterranean sculpture. He possesses a unique style, which betrays a strong character. How do we recognise the works of Cabestany? In the first place, our master is a virtuoso in composing. He manages to place together many figures on tiny surfaces. No empty space is left in his sculptures. In portraying the figures, the master follows a precise norm, so as to be recognised by the faces, eyes and hands that give the sculpture a ‘wild’ and ‘brutish’ note. This liberal form of expression is accompanied by a marked attention towards details. It is sufficient to see how he treats the folds of the clothing. In short, the anonymous sculptor gets his inspiration from Roman antiquity; he knows well how to utilise the bas-relief technique, so as to create works that denote a typical Romanesque stamp.
He works on every type of stone: marble, alabaster, travertine, limestone; and sculptures on every kind of support: capitals, tympanum, modillions, friezes, candelabrum. He deals with a variety of iconographic themes: themes relating to the Old and New Testament (above all the Nativity cycle, and the Marian cycle), and hagiographic themes. Beasts, animals and angels are ever present throughout his works.