The painting has been relocated several times. It is owned by the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid but has been on long-term loan to the Huesca City Council (Ayuntamiento de Huesca) in Aragon, Spain, since 1950.
The Legend of the Monk King (La leyenda del rey monje) by Palentian academic painter José Casado del Alisal (1832–1886) is one of the most striking and theatrical masterpieces of 19th-century Spanish history painting. Popularly known as The Bell of Huesca (La campana de Huesca), it is a large painting, portraying a famous medieval legend from the Kingdom of Aragon (12th century). The myth held that King Ramiro II (‘the Monk’) was beset by much unrest from his opulent and wayward feudal lords. He called the nobles, who had disobeyed him, to his palace at Huesca, pretended to ask their counsel, and cast a magnificent, colossal bell which should sound throughout the kingdom.
This story culminates in the brutal climax set in the shadowed, vaulted stone cellar of the royal palace, as portrayed by Casado del Alisal. The composition features a dramatic and startling contrast. King Ramiro II is on the right, and atop his fierce mastiff, he is tall, cold, and defiant. He holds out a hand and shows the other ten courtiers standing on his left what is in it: the heads of the 12 rebel leaders are piled up on the ground in the form of a giant bell. To make the gruesome show even more startling, the head of the archbishop, who ran the conspiracy, is dangling from a rope to act as the clapper of the bell. The surviving nobles’ gasps in horror on the stairs are a testament to the effect his inhuman demonstration of power had on them, to the point that they caught their breath in complete shock and disbelief.
As to execution, Casado del Alisal demonstrates his remarkable control of Romantic realism. The lighting is theatrical, filtering through the wet vault from an unseen source overhead, adding a sense of horror. His brushwork succeeds in capturing the different textures of the scene, from the rough, cold stone masonry to the luxurious velvets, heavy chain mail, and the glistening blood on the floor.
The painting was exhibited at the Spanish National Exhibition of Fine Arts in 1881, causing a great stir. It was well received in all parts of Europe for its academic brilliance and its psychological depth, but the jury gave Casado only a first-class ‘Honorary mention’ and not the Medal of Honor itself. Casado was so insulted that he tendered his resignation from the highly esteemed position of director of the Spanish Academy of Fine Arts in Rome. It was soon acquired by the Spanish state in 1882, for 35,000 pesetas.
Del Alisal has created a dramatic portrayal of the Spanish legend The Bell of Huesca. He depicts the king in a calm pose surrounded by terrified nobles facing the aftermath of the executions. The juxtaposition between the king and the crowd is key to the theatrical painting.
