Gallery: El Greco paintings on display in Estonia for first time

For the first time in Estonia, El Greco masterpieces are on view at Tallinn's Niguliste Museum — in a sweeping exhibition of treasures from Spain's gothic Toledo Cathedral.
Opening Saturday, "Dives Toletana: Treasures of Toledo Cathedral from Medieval to El Greco" invites visitors on a journey spanning over a millennium — from Visigothic times through Spain's Golden Age.
Highlights range from a 10th century Mozarabic liturgical manuscript to rare monumental tapestries and liturgical objects created under Catholic monarchs Isabella I and Ferdinand II.
The show features four El Greco masterpieces from the late 16th and early 17th centuries — "Saint Augustine," "Saint Francis," "Saint Ildefonsus" and "Saint Francis of Assisi and Brother Leo Meditating on Death" — underscoring Toledo's central role in art history.
Another standout is José de Ribera's 1646 painting "San Diego de Alcalá."
Toledo's surprising link to Tallinn
"Toledo and Tallinn are linked through the late medieval painter Michel Sittow," said exhibition co-curator Merike Kurisoo. She noted that Sittow's earliest known works are in Toledo Cathedral, while his final paintings — on the wings of the Passion Altarpiece in Tallinn — are housed at Niguliste.
"Sittow launched his artistic career in one of Spain's most important sacred spaces and later served as court painter for Isabella I and Ferdinand II," Kurisoo said. "In 2025, we mark the 500th anniversary of his death."
Co-curator Carlos Alonso Pérez-Fajardo said the exhibition shows more than just a Spanish cathedral — its treasures reflect Spain's broader cultural and historical evolution.
"These works remain living objects of devotion, proclaiming faith through the liturgy," he said. "Toledo's art embodies a thousand years of spiritual and cultural continuity."
The exhibition also includes a public program exploring Spanish culture, art and history, plus an educational program for students in higher grades.
"Dives Toletana: Treasures of Toledo Cathedral from Medieval to El Greco" opens November 22 and runs through March 29, 2026.
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Editor: Huko Aaspõllu, Aili Vahtla























