Page 52 - Art In The Age Of Exploration (Great Section on Chinese Art Ming Dynasty)

SCULPTURE IN CASTILE c. 1492

/. /. Martin Gonzalez

T

JL he Age of Exploration, a great historical
from
era for the Spanish nation, coincides with a different hands, one of whom can be identified Cardinal Mendoza, archbishop of Toledo and a
Reyes Catolicos, who ac-
close adviser to the
documents as Juan Alernan or Juan "el
fascinating period in the history of Spanish art. Aleman (the German)," whose drapery is clearly tively participated in the campaign. Each scene
The Gothic style, which remained a dominant in the Germanic style. 3 portrays a siege or a surrender, although the
influence in Spain right up to the very end of Egas Cueman executed several tombs for the compositional variety maintained is remarkable.
the fifteenth century, began to lose ground to Monastery of Guadalupe — which had been Its purpose was propaganda for the crown.
the emerging Renaissance manner, which was built under royal patronage — including the Maestro Rodrigo subsequently worked on the
imported from Italy. And yet there was also a magnificent tomb of Alfonso de Velasco and his choir stalls of Plasencia (Caceres), a royal com-
marked conservatism on the part of some pa- wife Isabel de Cuadros, commissioned in 1467. mission awarded in 1497 with the stipulation
trons: Gothic could still be considered "mod- Egas also participated in the architectural pro- that Egas Cueman would first approve the mod-
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ern," and Renaissance thought of as "ancient" jects of Juan Guas, including the Palace of the els. The stalls are remarkable for the consider-
or "Roman." Infantada in Guadalajara of about 1483, the able number of secular themes they contain,
The demand for sculpture in the later fifteenth transept of the church of the Monastery of San some erotic in nature, evidently intended to
century was high and fueled both by religious Juan de los Reyes in Toledo, and the screen represent sins and vices, some of which are
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patrons — cardinals, bishops, and cathedral around the nave of Toledo Cathedral (1490-1493). quite amusing. The Plasencia stalls show the
chapters — and by the crown and the powerful Egas' workshop continued after his death under influence of the choir stalls of Seville Cathedral
nobility. Much of this sculpture was created by the direction of his sons Anton and Enrique. and indicate that Rodrigo had been there. In
artists from northern Europe. Importing works Sebastian de Toledo has been called the finest 1498 Rodrigo contracted to execute the stalls for
of art from abroad or bringing in foreign sculp- tomb sculptor in Spain in the late fifteenth the cathedral of Ciudad Rodrigo (Salamanca),
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tors was an obvious sign of the patron's wealth. century. He created the lavish tombs in Toledo which were not finished until after 1503. It is
Most of the Gothic sculptors were Flemish, Cathedral for Don Alvaro de Luna and his clear that by this time a sculptor's fame could be
while others came to Spain from Germany. As wife Dona Juana de Pimentel, countess of Mon- quite widespread and that important masters
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Spanish taste shifted to the Renaissance style, talban, which were commissioned from this could travel far from their places of origin in
Italian sculptors, or Spanish artists who had "entallador de imagineria" in 1489. Don Alvaro, connection with their work.
trained in Italy, came to the forefront. at that time Grand Master to the Order of The most important sculptural work in To-
Political and economic power in Spain in this Santiago, had endowed a funerary chapel in the ledo during this period was the retablo mayor,
period centered in the great cities of Burgos, cathedral and had the chapel built to exalt that begun in 1498, which was the work of a team
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Toledo, Seville, and Barcelona, which were also Order. A kneeling knight is shown at each of artists. Peti Juan, probably a French carver,
the principal centers of the visual arts. The corner of the free-standing tomb. an ensamblador, contributed to the design,
selection of Spanish sculpture that has been The great tomb in Sigiienza Cathedral of "El worked on the architectural frame, and proba-
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assembled in this exhibition (cats. 46-51) Doncel de Sigiienza" has been convincingly bly executed some of the sculptures. Rodrigo
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centers on works from Castile, which is also attributed to Sebastian de Toledo. This master- Aleman worked on the predella reliefs, while a
the focus of this essay. It should, however, be piece honors Don Martin Vazquez, known as certain Diego Copin "de Holanda," clearly of
understood that parallels to the developments "El Doncel," a knight of the Order of Santiago Dutch origin, together with Sebastian de Almo-
outlined here can be found elsewhere in Spain who died on the battlefield near Granada at the nacid, executed most of the reliefs. The project
at this time and that it is impossible to do justice age of twenty-five. It was inspired by the design even involved Felipe Bigamy from Burgos, a
to the many different strands of this history in of Egas Cueman, Sebastian's master, for the major Renaissance sculptor who will be dis-
a brief survey. tomb of Don Alfonso de Velasco. At El Doncel's cussed later in this essay, who in 1500 was paid
Egas Cueman (active c. 1450-1495) and his feet is a weeping page holding his helmet. The to carve a figure of Saint Mark and to design
brother Hanequin, both from Brussels, brought young knight is shown leaning on one elbow historias.
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the Flemish sculptural style to Toledo. Shortly and reading a book, a new kind of image in- Burgos' fame as an artistic center in this
before 1454 they were commissioned to execute spired by Etruscan and Roman funerary models. 7 period rests with the achievements of two fami-
the choir stalls of the cathedral of Cuenca (now Rodrigo Aleman of Toledo (active between lies of foreign artists: a German family from
in the Colegiata of Belmonte), with Hanequin 1489 and 1512) is celebrated for the series of Cologne (Colonia) and the Siloe family from
responsible for the architectural framework and choir stalls he carved. Though his surname Flanders. Juan de Colonia, the earliest of these
Egas for the carving. These were the first stalls suggests Germanic ancestry, he must have come artists, is supposed to have come to Burgos in
to be executed in Spain in the Flemish style. from the Lower Rhine region, and his style is the service of archbishop Alonso de Cartagena
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The Lion's Door of Toledo Cathedral was clearly Flemish. The choir stalls he carved for in 1436, when the latter returned from the
built under Hanequin's supervision after 1452. 2 Toledo Cathedral between 1487 and 1489 cele- Council of Basel. Juan is reported to have been
The inner part of the door portrays the Tree of brate the Spanish military offensive against at work on the towers of Burgos Cathedral in
Jesse; the outer part includes works by several Granada. The program was probably devised by 1442, serving as chief master. His Spanish
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EUROPE AND THE MEDITERRANEAN WORLD 5!