Jorge Inglés (''fl'' c. 1450) was a painter and illuminator who was active in Castile in the mid–15th century.

Biography

His birth and death dates are unknown. On the basis of his name, which means 'English', it is believed that Inglés' birthplace may have been in England. From his style it has been inferred that the artist possibly trained in the

Low Countries The Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower Drainage basin, basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Bene ...

. The only documentary evidence on this painter is the codicil to a will of

Íñigo López de Mendoza, 1st Marquis of Santillana Íñigo López de Mendoza, 1st Marquess of Santillana (19 August 139825 March 1458) was a Castilian politician and poet who held an important position in society and literature during the reign of John II of Castile. Biography He was born a ...

, dated 6 June June 1455. The codicil records that prior to June 1455 the Marquis commissioned Jorge Inglés to paint the ''Altarpiece of the Gozos de Santa María'' or ''of the Marquis of Santillana'' for the chapel of the Castle of Buitrago del Lozoya. The altarpiece is regarded as the earliest Hispano-Flemish painting in Spain.The Museo del Prado will be exhibiting the first documented Hispano-Flemish painting by a Castilian artist for a period of ten years
at the Prado The choice for Jorge Inglés shows that he was already a well-known painter by that time.J. J. Martín González. "Inglés, Jorge." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 26 Feb. 2016

Work

General

The work of Jorge Inglés reveals his intimate knowledge of

Flemish painting Flemish painting flourished from the early 15th century until the 17th century, gradually becoming distinct from the painting of the rest of the Low Countries, especially the modern Netherlands. In the early period, up to about 1520, the painti ...

, particularly of the work of

Rogier van der Weyden Rogier van der Weyden (; 1399 or 140018 June 1464), initially known as Roger de le Pasture (), was an Early Netherlandish painting, early Netherlandish painter whose surviving works consist mainly of religious triptychs, altarpieces, and commis ...

, and of Flemish tapestries and manuscript illumination. He was the first painter in Castile known by name to employ the Netherlandish technique of oil on panel. His drawing technique was bold and his figures have a sculptural and expressive quality, particularly in the faces and hands. He was very skilled in rendering sumptuous clothes and the characteristics of Spanish brocades. Jorge Inglés enlarged the settings in his compositions through the use of bold perspective effects. He filled the interiors with carpets, flagstones and canopies. He paid attention to details to suggest atmosphere and usually created openings to reveal a landscape in the distance.

Altarpiece of the Gozos de Santa María

Íñigo López de Mendoza who commissioned the ''Altarpiece of the Gozos de Santa María'' was a major poet and devotee of science. López de Mendoza was also particularly devoted to his family and the

Virgin Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

. The latter is reflected in his devotional verses known as the ''Gozos de Santa María'', which inspired the altarpiece. Some of the verses are inscribed on the scrolls carried by the angels at the top of the composition. The altarpiece retains part of the original structure and traceries and all the paintings executed by Jorge Inglés. Above the

predella In art a predella (plural predelle) is the lowest part of an altarpiece, sometimes forming a platform or step, and the painting or sculpture along it, at the bottom of an altarpiece, sometimes with a single much larger main scene above, but oft ...

with the busts of the Fathers of the Church Íñigo López de Mendoza himself is depicted. This is the only surviving painted portrait of a Castilian nobleman. Also depicted is his wife, Catalina Suárez de Figueroa, kneeling before the Virgin. The image of the Virgin is a replacement of the original, mid-15th-century Flemish image which is lost. The Marquis and his wife are accompanied by their page and maid, respectively. This work is on display since 2012 at the

Museo del Prado The Museo del Prado ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It houses collections of Art of Europe, European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th ce ...

thanks to an agreement with Íñigo de Arteaga y Martín, 19th Duke of the Infantado, its present owner.

Other works

Another work attributed to Inglés is the retable of St Jerome from the monastery in

Olmedo, Valladolid Olmedo is a municipality in the province of Valladolid, Spain. The Mudéjar theme park is located here. History Historically, there was a Jewish community in Olmedo in the Middle Ages, up until the 1492 expulsion of the Jews. Museums * Palac ...

, now residing in the National Sculpture Museum at the

Colegio de San Gregorio The Colegio de San Gregorio is an Isabelline style building located in the city of Valladolid, in Castile and León, Spain, it was formerly a college and now is housing the National Museum of Sculpture. This building is one of the best examples ...

. The seven predella panels include a St Sebastian with a curious hat. The main panel shows St Jerome in his Study. The retable in the parish church of

Villasandino Villasandino is a municipality and town located in the province of Burgos The province of Burgos is a Provinces of Spain, province of northern Spain, in the northeastern part of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of C ...

(

Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populous municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of th ...

), of which fragments survive, may be Inglés' last work. Jorge Inglés was responsible for various miniatures in manuscripts in the collection of Marqués’ Íñigo López de Mendoza.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ingles, Jorge 15th-century Spanish painters Spanish male painters Spanish painters Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown