GENER, Guerau

Chronological framework

Born in 1368/1369- † before of 16th July 1411

Geographical Framework

Catalonia and Kingdom of Valencia (active in Barcelona and Valencia)

Techniques

Tempera and gold leaf on panel

Profile and historiographical debate

Guerau Gener was son of a merchant from Barcelona, who was called by the same name, and he was born between 1368 and 1369. He developed his career in Barcelona, where he had been documented as a painter since 1390, and also in Valencia, where he should have received his initial training (Alcoy 1996a). On 16th June 1391 he signed a contract for the refinement of his trade with Lluís Borrassà, even if this agreement would not last more than three months. Guerau Gener worked on important works that were committed for notorious centres as the monastery of Santes Creus or the cathedrals of Barcelona, Valencia and Monreale (Sicily). In Valencia he worked along with the painters Marçal de Sax and Gonçal Peris (all of them qualified as pictores ymaginarum sive retabulum, vicini Valentie). This explains why his painting style, which is emanated from northern Europe, is connected with the Valencian painting of the decade of 1390, and especially with that which was emanated from Marçal de Sax. His career was cut short by his death which took place any time before 16th July 1411.

Despite the fact that the first documentary news about Guerau Gener begun to be spread in late nineteenth century, it is not until 1930 that the first file review on the painter was published. It was made by Agustí Duran i Sanpere. Among the first documents that were published by the historian it stands out both the contract and cancellation of Gener’s learning agreement under Lluís Borrassà’s supervision and the bill payment that granted Gener’s authorship for the altarpiece of Saint Bartholomew and Saint Elizabeth of Hungry from the Cathedral of Barcelona, which let us know his artistic personality.

Since then, few works have increased his low current catalogue. A document that was revealed by Count of Vilanova in 1930 allows linking Gener with the making of the altarpiece of Santes Creus, even if there is still no complete unanimity in the delimitation of the authorship. Much later, in 1986, Antoni José i Pitarch proposed identifying a table of Saint Dominic from the Museo del Prado as a part of the altarpiece that Guerau Gener and Gonçal Peris hired for Saint Dominic’s chapel of the Cathedral of Valencia (1405). In addition, despite the fact that it is still an attribution that has to be discussed, most recently, Francesc Ruiz has proposed the Sants Joans’ table belonging to the Alfred Sloan collection of New York on the bases of stylistic grounds.

Works

Known and preserved Works:

  • Altarpiece of Saint Bartholomew and Saint Elizabeth of Hungry of the Cathedral of Barcelona (doc. 1401)
  • Altarpiece of the monastery of Santes Creus,  which was commissioned to Pere Serra and finished by Lluís Borrassà (docs. 1403-1419) (MNAC, Museu Diocesà de Tarragona and part. col.)

Non-preserved known Works:

  • Altarpiece of the Nativity, which was hired in Valencia by Guerau Gener, Marçal de Sax and Gonçal Peris (docs. 1405)
  • Altar frontal and altarpiece for Saint Dominic’s chapel of the Cathedral of Valencia (docs. 1405 and 1407), which were hired by Guerau Gener and Gonçal Peris. It is possible that the Saint Dominic’s table from the Museo del Prado belongs to the set (inv. P3111) (José i Pitarch 1986)
  • Altarpiece of the Cathedral of Monreale (Sicily) (doc. 1407)

Attributed works

  • Sants Joans’ table from the Alfred P. Sloan collection of New York (Ruíz 2005)

Patrons

  • Bartomeua Bou, who was Francesc de Santcliment’s widow. Francesc de Santcliment was lord of Alcarràs. She acted through her executors: Jaume Vallirana, Jaume Arboç, Francesc Codina, Francesc Bofill and Guillem Ferrer
  • Pere Torrella, citizen of Valencia
  • Jaume Prats, rector of the church of Ontinyent (Vall d'Albaida, Valencia), who acted through Antoni Gassó, who was rector of the church of Almenara (Plana Baixa, Castellón), as well as his executor
  • The noble Pere de Queralt, who was Guerau de Queralt’s father and Archbishop of Monreale

Documentary Sources

Documented between 1390 and before 1411 as G(u)eraldus Ianuarii or G(u)eraldus Gener (o Giner) in Latin documents [Guerau Janer o Gener in Catalan documents]. Documents collected by the historiography (vid. infra.).

 Text: Cèsar Favà

Literature

STARRABBA-BALAGUER-SALINAS, 1880; PUIGGARÍ 1883: 268 I 280; SANCHIS SIVERA 1909: 322; PALAU 1912: 177-179; SANCHIS SIVERA 1912: 303-304; TRAMOYERES 1914-1915: 240-242; BARRAQUER III 1915: 402-403; MAS 1916: 130-131; TORMO 1916: 319-320; GUDIOL I CUNILL 1924: 173-174; BLASI 1928: 63; MAYER 1928: 30 I 43; MARTINELL 1929: 204-205 I 270-271, FIG. XVII; SANCHIS SIVERA 1929: 11-12; SOLER I MARCH 1929: 95-96, FIGS. 22-27; TODA 1929:  IX; POST II 1930: 460; POST III 1930: 78-82, FIG. 278; PALAU 1932: 37-38; DURAN I SANPERE 1932-1933; POST V 1934: 264-270, FIG. 72-74; CAPDEVILA 1935:76-77; HALLAZGO 1935:  7; SACS 1935: 7; SUTRÀ 1935; GUDIOL RICART 1938: 16. FIG. XLVII; POST VII 1938: 746-747; POST VIII 1941: 585-586; AINAUD - VERRIÉ 1942: XLIX; GUDIOL RICART 1944: 36, FIG. XLVII; MADURELL 1944: 170 I 173; BATLLE HUGUET 1945: 210 I 212, CAT. NÚM. 5, LÀM. LXVIII I LXIX; AINAUD 1946; AINAUD - GUDIOL - VERRIÉ I 1947: 68 I 72; AINAUD - GUDIOL - VERRIÉ II 1947: FIG. 436; MADURELL 1948: 53-57; MADURELL 1949: 68 I 136, NÚM. 237; MADURELL 1950: 84-86, 135, 160, 162-164 I 253-254, DOCS. 88, 90, 128, 146, 149, 226; BATLLE HUGUET 1952: 198, 207-208, NÚM. 11; FORT 1952: 245 I 248; MADURELL 1952: 113-115, DOC. 526, 527, 530; GUDIOL RICART 1953: 15, 63-65 I 110-112, FIG. 76-96, CAT. XIX; GUDIOL RICART 1955: 92, FIG. 66; CERVERÓ GOMIS 1956: 107-108; POST XII-I 1958: 562-564, 593-594; EXPOSICIÓN 1962: CAT. NÚM. 39; AINAUD 1964: 52-53; CERVERÓ GOMIS 1964: 108-109; FORT 1964: 28; CERVERÓ GOMIS 1972: 45; DURAN I SANPERE 1975: 30-37; HÉRIARD DUBREUIL II 1975:13; AINAUD 1976, NÚMS. 114739 I 114740 ; DALMASES - JOSÉ 1984: 214 I 218-221; PLANAS 1984: 39; GUDIOL - ALCOLEA 1986: 82-83 I 86-87, CAT. NÚM. 200 I 222, FIGS. 360-361 I 410-411; JOSÉ I PITARCH 1986: 174, 192, 225-226, 228; HÉRIARD DUBREUIL I 1987: 58, 98, 145; HÉRIARD DUBREUIL II 1987: FIGS. 133, 270, 403; AINAUD 1990: 70-73; AINAUD 1992: 132-133; ALCOY 1992; LIAÑO 1992; LIAÑO 1993; ALIAGA 1994; ALCOY 1996A; ALCOY 1996B; ALIAGA 1996: 45, 142-145, DOCS. 8-12; ALCOY 1997: 145-148, CAT. NÚM. 17; GORT 1997: 108, 112 I 176; RUIZ 1997: 75, FIGS. P. 74 I 75; ALCOY 1998: 234-236; MANOTE ET. AL. 1998: 99 I 251, CAT. NÚM. 1-2 I 1; RUIZ 1999A:. 227-238 I 556-58; RUIZ 1999B; RUIZ 2000: 140-142 I 213; BORAU 2003: 119-121, 189-190, 219-220, 276, 367, 487, 504-507; BRACONS 2004; GÓMEZ FRECHINA 2004A: 33; GÓMEZ FRECHINA 2004B: 85; JOSÉ - ALCOLEA 2004; LIAÑO 2005; RUIZ 2005A: 44-45; RUIZ 2005B: 84-88; RUIZ 2005C: 66; ALCOY 2007: 157-160; TERÉS 2007: 71-72; ALCOY 2008: 239-242; RUIZ - MONTOLÍO 2008: 140-141; ESPAÑOL 2009: 269; PAPELL 2009: 499; MACÍAS - FAVÀ - CORNUDELLA 2011: 85-86, FIGS. 9-11; TOLOSA - COMPANY - ALIAGA 2011: NÚM. 194, 195, 228 I 318; FAVÀ 2012; FAVÀ - CORNUDELLA 2012: 47-48, FIG. 10.