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Juan Martínez Montañés (March 16, 1568 – June 18, 1649), known asel Dios de la Madera (the God of Wood), was a Spanishsculptor, born atAlcalá la Real, in theprovince of Jaén.[1] He was one of the most important figures of theSevillian school of sculpture, and is known for developing theencarnación sculpting technique.
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 gracefulSt. Christopher in the church of El Salvador atSeville. HisBoy Christ (dated 1607) is in thesacristy of thecathedral of Seville. His masterpiece, the great altar ofSt Jerome at San Isidoro del Campo,Santiponce, near Seville, was contracted in 1609 and completed in 1613. Montañés executed most of his sculpture in wood,[1] which wasgessoed, polychromed and gilded.
Other works were the great altars at Santa Clara in Seville and at San Miguel inJerez, theImmaculate Conception and the realistic figure of Christ Crucified inCristo de la Clemencìa, commissioned in 1603,[2] in the sacristy of Seville cathedral (illustration); the figure ofSt John the Baptist, and theSt Bruno (1620); a tomb for Don Pérez de Guzmán and his wife (1619);[1] the highly realistic polychromed wood head and hands ofSt Ignatius of Loyola (1610) and ofSt 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.[1] In 1635, in preparation for the bronze equestrian statue ofKing Philip IV byPietro Tacca, Montañés went toMadrid 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 hisportrait painted byDiego Velázquez, whose tutor had worked for him.
He had many imitators, including his son Alonzo Martínez, who died in 1668.[1] His students includedJuan de Mesa.
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Montañes, Juan Martinez".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 18 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 757. This work in turn cites:
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