This piece —along with St. Patientia, also in the BBVA Collection— came from the church of San Lorenzo in Huesca and was part of the former main altarpiece devoted to St. Lawrence made around 1500, which was dismembered in the early 17^th century when the church was demolished. Various fragments of this altarpiece have been preserved, some now conserved in the Museo Diocesano in Huesca.

At first the altarpiece was attributed to Pedro de Aponte (documented between 1505 and 1530), the painter from Aragón of nearly mythical prestige to whom a great number of works around 1500 were attributed, but it seems that he could not have been the author. Later on, Chandler Rathfon Post attributed them to a painter known as the Master of Huesca, who probably apprenticed under Miguel Jiménez (documented between 1462 y 1505), taking from him the motif of the gilt haloes constructed with concentric circles in flat relief. Furthermore, though many elements in the painting preserve the Flemish taste for V-shaped folds and ornamental minutiae, it also shows features of an incipient Renaissance style in its volumetric treatment of the figure and certain decorative details. The painting is also reminiscent of the St Dominic of Silos by Bartolomé Bermejo (ca.1440-ca.1500) conserved in the Prado Museum, which was brought from Daroca, which also features a luxurious throne decorated with polychrome figures, in this case of the cardinal virtues.

Alfonso E. Pérez Sánchez attributed the painting to Pedro Díaz de Oviedo, who did the altarpiece of Santa María de Tudela and is also known to have been in Huesca in 1498 decorating the keystones of the cathedral and working on the main altarpiece of the church of San Lorenzo.

The two panels were attached to the walls of the ante-sacristy until they were sold prior to 1910. They were part of the collection of the Duchess of Parcent, Trinidad von Scholtz-Hermensdorff, widow of Iturbe, who exhibited the panels along with the rest of her collection in the Real Academia de San Fernando in May 1911. They remained the property of the family until 1979, when the heirs of the Duchess, the Prince and Princess of Hohenlohe, had them auctioned in Sotheby’s as part of the contents of the family estate of El Quexigal. They were purchased on May 25 by the Banco de Huesca (which was later absorbed by Banco de Bilbao), and thus came to be part of this Collection.

According to the lore of Aragón, St. Orentius was the father of St. Lawrence and the husband of St. Patientia. He is presented seated in a high-backed throne chair upholstered in brocade, with the sides and armrests decorated with ten figures of prophets—among which we recognise Isaiah because he is holding a phylactery—and six other characters that are partially seen, all of them painted in bright colours, as if they were polychrome sculptures. The devil appears tied up at its feet, in an allusion to the evil spirit that tried to tempt him numerous times, without success, while he lived in the Lavendan valley, in the diocese of Tarbes.

He is wearing a plush 

 chasuble 

aliturgical garment worn by clergy when celebrating religious acts. Although the shape and style have varied little since the 11^th century, the vestment has evolved. In the 13^th century, the front strips or sashes became wider, allowing for a decoration with embroidery and inlaid pearls or precious stones. The brooch used to clasp the chasuble was turned into a decorative fibula. The hood on the back is a purely ornamental element that was transformed in the 14^th century into a sort of pointed badge or shield, which then became wider well into the 16^th century.

lavishly embroidered with pearls and gems, and holds a blooming branch that alludes to his miraculous interventions during times of scarcity in the city of Huesca. Flanking him on both sides are two angels holding prayer books in their hands.