Palma & the Badia de Palma - Mallorca - page 88

Dalí, and Barcelona's Josep Maria Sert and Xavier Corberó, as well as an extraordinary
18th-century Neapolitan baroque belén (nativity scene).
Entry is through an outdoor terrace display of modern sculptural works. Centre stage is
taken by Corberó's enormous Orgue del Mar (1973).
Inside, more than 20 paintings by Dalí around the themes 'Alchemy and Eternity'
catch the eye, as does the belén with hundreds of incredibly detailed figures, from angels
and kings to shepherds and farm animals and market scenes, making up a unique repres-
entation of Christ's birth.
Upstairs, the artist Josep Maria Sert (1874-1945) painted the main vault and music
room ceiling. The vault is divided into four parts, the first three representing three virtues
(audacity, reason and inspiration) and the last the embodiment of those qualities in the
form of Sert's client Juan March. One of the rooms hosts an intriguing display of medi-
eval maps of the Mediterranean by Mallorquin cartographers.
Museu Diocesà MUSEUM
MAP GOOGLE MAP
(Carrer del Mirador 5; adult/child €3/free; 10am-2pm Mon-Sat) Opened in 2007 in its mag-
nificent new home of the Palau Episcopal (bishop's residence), the Museu Diocesà, be-
hind the cathedral to the east, is a fascinating excursion for those interested in Mallorca's
Christian artistic history. It contains works by Antoni Gaudí, Francesc Comes and Pere
Niçard, and a mind-boggling retaule ( retablo in Spanish; an altarpiece) depicting the
Passion of Christ (c 1290-1305) and taken from the Convent de Santa Clara.
The episodes of the Passion are shown with effusive detail: Palm Sunday, the Last
Supper, St Peter's kiss of betrayal. Christ flailed looks utterly unperturbed, while the im-
age of his being nailed to the cross is unsettling. Off to the right, a key work is Comes' St
Jaume de Compostela (St James, known to the Spaniards as the Moor- slayer). Niçard's
Sant Jordi (St George), from around 1468-70, is remarkable for its busy detail. The City
of Mallorca (Palma) is shown in the background as St George dispatches the dragon.
Below this painting is a scene by Niçard and his boss Rafel Mòger depicting the 1229
taking of Palma. The final room in this wing is the Gothic Oratori de Sant Pau, a small
chapel. The stained-glass window was a trial run done by Gaudí in preparation for the
windows he did in the Catedral.
Otherwise, a succession of rooms showcases Mallorquin artists such as Pere Terrencs
and Mateu López (father and son), while upstairs is a thin collection of baroque art,
ceramics and some lovely views of the bay.
Dalt Murada & Parc de la Mar WALLS, PARK