The Museum of the Ways of the Palace of Gaudí closes this year 2024 highlighting a Portapaz of gilded silver and in its color of unknown authorship and provenance. This December’s ‘Piece of the Month’ focuses on the Nativity of Jesus, the central image in the work. It will be on display throughout the month of December in a prominent place on the second floor of the Gaudí Palace.
The peace holder is a liturgical object destined for the rite of peace, which after the reforms sponsored by the Second Vatican Council, which simplified the ceremonial, made these pieces lack of practical use.
Traditionally its design resembles a small altar or altarpiece, which in the case of this work has an architectural structure with a smooth base, on which is represented, superimposed, the Paschal Lamb, alluding to Christ, his sacrifice and triumph over death. The central scene, on a golden plate, shows the Birth of Jesus, a theme mentioned in the Gospels of Matthew and especially Luke. Thus, the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph appear flanking the Child, with the ox and the mule on a background that insinuates a shallow architecture. On the sides, the Nativity is framed by two caryatids and foliaceous double Cs. The upper finial, with the star on a simple entablature, consists of an openwork piece with four little angels on the sides, surrounded by a decoration based on ce’s, palmettes, leaves and flowers.
On the back it has a handle to facilitate its grip. The lack of documentary support does not allow us to determine the authorship or provenance of this interesting piece.
The Gaudí Palace can be visited from Monday to Sunday from 10:30 am to 2:00 pm and in the afternoons from 4:00 pm to 6:30 pm. With the exhibition of this piece holder, the year 2025 comes to an end, in which each month a piece belonging to the collection of the Museo de los Caminos has been highlighted.