descending to take possession of the Hetoimasia, the throne that has been prepared for

Him from where He would pass judgment at the end of time. This assumption seems to

be supported by the fact that the event is taking place in front of a background of star-

patterns that would place the scene on a heavenly setting.225

 In this chapter, the conclusions drawn from this comparative iconographic and

stylistic analysis of the Bible ofAvila and the examples found around the north of Spain

are many. The Master of the Cycle of the Life and Passion of Christ in the Bible of Avila

seems to have been aware of the traditions of iconography from the minor arts and mural

painting, as well as the tradition of Romanesque sculpture in the Peninsula. Yet there are

a number of iconographic examples, such as Christ as the Gardener or Supper at

Emmaus, that apparently do not have any evident sources in the pictorial arts of the north

of Spain during the 10th to 12th centuries. It is possible that some of this iconography

relates to an example that has been lost long ago. On the other hand, there are also a

number of characteristics that would indicate that some elements have been the product

of the artist' s imagination, such as the mouth of Hell in the Harrowing of Hell. Finally, in

terms of style the Master seems to rely heavily on the minor arts, especially the

sumptuary arts and ivory relief sculpture.






225 The star pattern that appears in the Bible of Avila has been abstracted or minimized to
its essential components: a cross that has been surrounded by a red outline that creates a
flower pattern. The abstracted flower pattern can be found in examples such as the ivory
panel in Leon of Christ in Maj esty with Saints Peter and Paul dated to circa 1063 (see
The Art of2~edieval Spain, ad 500-1200, 1993, p. 246, Fig. 1 12), or in the mural paintings
of the Pantheon of the Kings in San Isidoro of Leon (see Vifiayo Gonzalez, San Isidoro
de Leon Panteon de los Reyes, 1995, Fig. 14), where both versions of the flower pattern
and the abstraction of it can be found.