Juan Martínez Montañés

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Portrait of Montañés by Diego Velázquez, 1636
'Saint John the Baptist', painted and gilded wood statue by Juan Martínez Montañés, Spanish, 1st third of 17th century, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Cristo de la Clemencía, detail; commissioned in 1603, Cathedral sacristy, Seville

Juan Martínez Montañés (March 16, 1568 – June 18, 1649), known as el Dios de la Madera (the God of Wood), was a Spanish

province of Jaén. He was one of the most important figures of the Sevillian school of sculpture, and is known for developing the encarnación
sculpting technique.

Biography

Juan Martínez Montañés was born on March 16, 1568, in Alcalá la Real, Jaén, Spain. His master was Pablo de Roxas.

His first known work, dating to 1597, is the graceful

gessoed
, polychromed and gilded.

Other works were the great altars at Santa Clara in Seville and at San Miguel in

St Francis Xavier
in the university church of Seville, where the costumed figures were used in celebrations.

Montañés achieved great fame in his lifetime; he died in 1649, leaving a large family. His works are more realistic than imaginative, but this, allied with an impeccable taste, produced remarkable results. In 1635, in preparation for the bronze equestrian statue of King Philip IV by Pietro Tacca, Montañés went to Madrid and spent seven months there modelling a portrait of Philip IV. The work was sent to Tacca in Florence as primary reference for the King, and the statue was finished in 1640. During his stay in Madrid he had his portrait painted by Diego Velázquez, whose tutor had worked for him.

He had many imitators, including his son Alonzo Martínez, who died in 1668. His students included Juan de Mesa.

Immaculate La cieguecita (1631)
Cristo de la Clemencia (1603)

References

  1. ^ Its iconography was laid out in minute detail in the contract, which survives.
  •  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainChisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Montañes, Juan Martinez". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. This work in turn cites:
    • B. Haendeke, Studien zur Geschichte der spanischen Plastik (Strassburg, 1900)
    • F. Gomez, Historia de la escultura en España (Madrid, 1885).

External links