VERGÓS I, Jaume

Techniques

• Painting
• Tissues

Profile and historiographical debate

He was son of Barcelona's tailor Francesc and Guillemona and he was brother of Francesc Vergós I. Jaume Vergós I was a painter, and a maker of “perpuntes” and curtains of Barcelona. The inventory of his property, made ​​after his death on July 29^th, 1460, said that his workshop was in the “carrer Ample” of Barcelona where he practiced the craft with the help of his son Jaume Vergós II, -among others-,. This one was born from his first marriage with Angelina de Perpinyà. On 17^th August 1434 he was designated painter-flagger of the Consell de Cent of Barcelona. A charge that he​​ had already been exercising for some time and that reported him a stable income. Twenty years later, he was great man of the Confraternity of the “Freners” of Barcelona.

The preserved documentation lists those works that were in his workshop at the time of his death and reveals to us some of the commissions that he received throughout his career. These sources allow us to define clearly two types of promoters. On one hand, the wealthy families of Barcelona to whom he produced, almost in series, works for a private sphere that were characterized by its small size, its low cost and an adaptation to the tastes of the customers (decorative clothes, triptychs and small altarpieces, boxes, etc..). And, secondly, as painter-flagger he obtained individual commissions for the city of Barcelona, such as the execution of paintings for civic or liturgical shows, his participation in the making of the crown and the cross of the image of Saint Eulalia that was placed in prison or his collaboration among Pere Deuna and Tomàs Alemany in the restoration and making of new banners of the Corpus Christi for the city of Barcelona.

Unfortunately, this specialization towards a more "domestic" or more ephemeral production, has meant that, as it happens with his brother Francesc Vergós I, it is not preserved any work that can be used to define his style but, as it has been said, the documentation can let us know some of his works. The fact that in his last will he appointed the painter Jaume Huguet as the executor of his belongings suggests that his style was influenced by this master, halfway between International Gothic and Flemish painting.

The first scholar that published the inventory of Jaume Vergós and that studied briefly his figure was Josep Puiggarí (1880). Nevertheless, it will be a few years later when Salvador Sanpere i Miquel (1906) studied this master methodically. This scholar suggests that some authors have underestimated Jaume Vergós I because of the domesticity nature of his works and he defends that great painters like Jean Fouquet and Jean van Eyck had also worked on ephemeral works that were made ​​for everyday life. A few years later, Josep Mª Madurell (1949) published an important compilation of documents that let us reconstruct the life and work of Jaume Vergós I, who is entitled painter or “perpunterii o cortinerius”, depending on the document or the request. These documents remind the versatility of the Vergós brothers and many other artists of the period, while at the same time they help to upgrade their work. As Joan Molina says (2006), in order to evaluate properly the figure and work of Jaume Vergós I we must consider the importance that social festivities and public events had in the Middle Ages. In fact, making the clothes or the dramatic interludes that decorated buildings and streets was often done by painters that must enjoy a certain prestige and popularity. A reputation that is confirmed by the designation of painter-flagger and, at the same time, by the fact that his son Jaume Vergós II succeeded him as “painter-flagger”. This title seems to be a public acknowledgment and explains how Vergós’ family works were appreciated among the citizens of Barcelona. It is necessary to understand in the same way the wish of Jaume Vergós I since he stated that his coat of arms had to appear on his tomb; a will that we have to understand as a symbol of pride and social recognition.

Works

• Coloration of interludes, funerals, processions of Corpus Christi, horse coverts, banners, etc.
• Heraldic decoration of curtains and drapes
• Pictorial decoration of some footstools for the chapel of the City Council of Barcelona
• Restoration of Corpus Christi interlude dedicated to the Passion of Saint Francis
• Crown and cross of Saint Eulalia

Patrons

• Dalmau de Raset, archdeacon of the cathedral of Girona
• Guillem de Fonollet, merchant
• Joan Andreu Sabater, merchant
• Pere Palou, merchant
• Council of the City of Barcelona
• Consell de Cent

Documentary Sources

• October 14^th, 1415 – Contract for the learning of the trade of “perpuntero” signed between Jaume Vergós I and Antoni Ultzina. Arxiu Històric de Protocols de Barcelona, Protocols notarials de Barcelona, notary Bernat Pi, leg. 22, man. com. 1415-1416
• July 12^th, 1422 – Death certificate of a woman that lived in his house or in his brother’s (Francesc Vergós) house. Arxiu Diocesà de Barcelona, Fons Parroquial de Santa Maria del Mar, Llibre d’obits 1422. Nota del doctor Josep M. Simón de Guilleuma
• January 13^th, 1425 – Commission signed by Joan Maxau, who was a merchat from the Alguer, to Pere Partagás, merchant of the Alguer, from the island of Sardinia, and who was born in Manresa, from Lleonard de Doni, another merchant. Arxiu Històric de Protocols de Barcelona, Protocols notarials de Barcelona, notary Joan Nadal leg. 13, man. years 1420-1430
• January 15^th, 1426 – Bill payment issued by the executors of the merchant Guillem de Fonollet to Jaume Vergós for the restoration of some curtains that he donated to the Hospital Nou de Barcelona. Arxiu Històric de Protocols de Barcelona, Protocols notarials de Barcelona, notary Joan Nadal leg. 15, llib. Testamentaria de Guillem de Fonollet, years 1425-1427
• August 13^th, 1425 – Bill payment issued by Guillem Celma de Vilabla, who was born in Vic, to Guerau ça Torra, lord of Fonolleres and Alcarràs. Arxiu Històric de Protocols de Barcelona, Protocols notarials de Barcelona, notary Joan Nadal, leg. 14, man. years 1425
• July 24^th, 1430 – Bill payment to Jaume Vergós for his work as curtain maker and for his work on a shield, on a flag and on a mortuary drape. Arxiu de la Catedral de Barcelona, Gabriel Canyelles, Manuale ultimum, años 1428-1438
• July 8^th, 1433 – Bill payment for the painting of some curtains for the Dr. Dalmau de Raset, archdeacon of the cathedral of Girona. Arxiu Històric de Protocols de Barcelona, Protocols notarials de Barcelona, notary Bernat Noves, leg. 2, man. years 1433-1434
• August 17^th, 1434 – Designation of Jaume Vergós as painter-flagger of the City of Barcelona. Arxiu Històric de la Ciutat de Barcelona. Dietari Municipal de Barcelona, 01-I-1429 a 30-VI-1435
• September 24^th, 1435 – Angelina, Jaume Vergós’ wife, with his consent approves, ratifies and confirms the management and procurement made ​​by Jaume Baró. Arxiu Històric de Protocols de Barcelona, Protocols notarials de Barcelona, notary Nicolau ça Font, leg. 1, man. years 1434-35
• July 25^th, 1439 – Death Certificate of Jaume Vergós’ son. Arxiu Diocesà de Barcelona, Fons Parroquial de Santa Maria del Mar, Llibre d’òbits 1439. Nota del doctor Josep M. Simón de Guilleuma
• May 12^th, 1440 – Angelina, Jaume Vergós’ wife, gives power to Jaume Riera. Arxiu Històric de Protocols de Barcelona, Protocols notarials de Barcelona, notary Nicolau de Mediona, leg. 4, man. 6
• July 20^th, 1441 – Bill payment signed by Francesc Vergós and Joan Cabrera, among others, to the merchant Joan Andreu Sabater because of the delivery of 7 pounds and 15 salaries of Barcelona in commission. Arxiu Històric de Protocols de Barcelona, Protocols notarials de Barcelona, notary Antoni Vilanova, leg. 4, man. 7
• August 25^th, 1444 – Bill payment signed by Francesc Vergós and Joan Cabrera, among others, to the merchant Pere Palou for the delivery of 7 pounds in commission. Arxiu Històric de Protocols de Barcelona, Protocols notarials de Barcelona, notary Bernat Bastat, leg. 1
• 1448 – “Jaume Vergós, pintor, que residia en la vuitena illa davant l’abeurador de la llotja del Quarter del Pi”. Arxiu Històric de la Ciutat de Barcelona, reg. XIV Llibre dels quarters de la Ciutat, 1448, 7 v
• March 31^th, 1451 – Bill payment for the Works of preservation that were performed in 1451 in the interlude of the Corpus Christi dedicated to the Passion of Saint Francis. Arxiu Històric de Protocols de Barcelona, Protocols notarials de Barcelona, notary Pedro Figuerola, leg. 1, man. years 1452-1453
• January 6^th, 1453 – “Dorm a fra menors, albat d’en Vergós, pintor, al carrer Ample”. Arxiu Diocesà de Barcelona, Fons Parroquial de Santa Maria del Mar,  Llibre d’òbits 1453. Nota del doctor Josep M. Simón de Guilleuma
• February 4^th,  1454 – Litigation between Pere Terres and Jaume Vergós, Arxiu de la Corona d’Aragó, Reial Audiència de Catalunya, Llibre de Conclusions Civils, Conclusions civils 24, f. 112 v
• June 28^th, 1454 – Bill payment for his work of preservation of the interludes that participate in the Corpus Christi procession. Arxiu Històric de Protocols de Barcelona, Protocols notarials de Barcelona, notary Pere Figuerola, leg. 1, man. years 1452-1453
• March 2^th, 1456 – Testament of Angelina de Perpinyà, Jaume Vergós’ wife. Arxiu Històric de Protocols de Barcelona, Protocols notarials de Barcelona, notary Bernat Montserrat, leg. 7, lib. 4, Testaments 1453-66, f. 1
• February, 1459 – Payment made to Jaume Vergós as painter of the City of Barcelona because of the painting of two footstools for the chapel of the City Council. Arxiu Històric de la Ciutat de Barcelona, Correu i Menut, I, years 1458-72: f. 8
• November 17^th, 1459 – Payments made by the council of the city of Barcelona to Antoni Bells and Jaume Vergós because of their participation on the making of the Crown and the cross of the image of Saint Eulalia that was placed under the vaults of the prison. Arxiu Històric de la Ciutat de Barcelona, Clavaria, 72, f. 98
• May 29^th, 1460 – Testament of Jaume Vergós. Arxiu Històric de Protocols de Barcelona, Protocols notarials de Barcelona, notary Bartomeu Costa, Testaments, man. 1
• July 29^th, 31^th, 1460 – Inventory of the belongings of Jaume Vergós. Arxiu Històric de Protocols de Barcelona, Protocols notarials de Barcelona, notary Bartomeu Costa, Testamentos, man. 1
• July 30^th, 1461 – “Dorm a Framenors. Fo soterrat de nits, cos present general d’en Vergós pintor. Està al carrer Ample”. Arxiu Diocesà de Barcelona, Fons Parroquial de Santa Maria del Mar, Llibre d'òbits 1461. Nota del doctor Josep M. Simón de Guilleuma

Text: Gemma Malé