Alonso Cano Almansa or Alonzo Cano (19 March 16013 September 1667) was a Spanish painter, architect, and sculptor born in Granada.Alonso Cano
–

Catholic Encyclopedia The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...

article

Biography

Alonso Cano - Saint John the Evangelist's Vision of Jerusalem - WGA04003

He learned architecture from his father,

Miguel Cano Miguel Cano Pacheco was a Spanish baroque architect and sculptor born in Almodóvar del Campo, father and first master of Alonso Cano, renowned joiner of altarpieces. The reputation of his work and the accumulation of orders motivated that he was ...

; painting in the academy of

Juan del Castillo Juan del Castillo (c. 1590 – c. 1657) was a Spanish Baroque painter. Many of his paintings became famous during his time due to his pupil, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. Del Castillo was the youngest brother of the painter Agustín. Both were tra ...

, and from Francisco Pacheco the teacher of Velázquez; and sculpture from

Juan Martínez Montañés Juan Martínez Montañés (March 16, 1568 – June 18, 1649), known as el Dios de la Madera (''the God of Wood''), was a Spanish sculptor, born at Alcalá la Real, in the province of Jaén. He was one of the most important figures of the Sevill ...

. As a sculptor, his most famous works are the ''Madonna and Child'' in the church of

Lebrija Lebrija () is a city and municipality of Spain located in the autonomous community of Andalusia, most specifically in the Province of Sevilla. It straddles the left bank of the Guadalquivir river, and the eastern edge of the marshes known as La ...

(also called ''Nebrija''), and the colossal figures of San Pedro and San Pablo. He was made first royal architect, painter to Philip IV, and instructor to the prince,

Balthasar Charles, Prince of Asturias Balthasar Charles (17 October 1629 – 9 October 1646), Prince of Asturias, Prince of Girona, Duke of Montblanc, Count of Cervera, and Lord of Balaguer, Prince of Viana was heir apparent to all the kingdoms, states and dominions of the Spa ...

. The King gave him the church preferment of a canon of the

Granada Cathedral Granada Cathedral, or the Cathedral of the Incarnation ( es, Catedral de Granada, Santa Iglesia Catedral Metropolitana de la Encarnación de Granada) is a Roman Catholic church in the city of Granada, capital of the province of the same name in ...

(1652), in order to take up a position as chief architect of the cathedral, where his main achievement in architecture was the façade, designed at the end of his life and erected to his design after his death. He was notorious for his ungovernable temper; and it is said that once he risked his life by committing the then capital offence of dashing to pieces the statue of a saint, when in a rage with the purchaser who begrudged the price he demanded. According to another story, he found his house robbed after coming home one evening, his wife murdered, and his Italian servant fled. Notwithstanding the presumption against the fugitive, the magistrates condemned Cano, because he was of a jealous temper. Upon this he fled to

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

, but afterwards returned to

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

, where he was put to the torture, which he endured without incriminating himself, and the king received him into favour. After the death of his wife he took Holy Orders as a protection from further prosecution, but still continued his professional pursuits. He died in 1667. In his last moments, when the priest held to him a

crucifix A crucifix (from Latin ''cruci fixus'' meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the ''corpus'' (Lati ...

, he told him to take it away because it was badly carved. According to the ''Catholic Encyclopedia'', the dying Cano refused the Sacrament from a priest who gave it to

conversos A ''converso'' (; ; feminine form ''conversa''), "convert", () was a Jew who converted to Catholicism in Spain or Portugal, particularly during the 14th and 15th centuries, or one of his or her descendants. To safeguard the Old Christian p ...

. Probably this version is spurious as many others about his life and temperament. Works * ''San Vicente Ferrer (praying)'' * ''Virgin of the Olive Tree'' (1629) * ''Inmaculada del Facistol'' (1655–1656) in the sacristy of the

Cathedral of Granada Granada Cathedral, or the Cathedral of the Incarnation ( es, Catedral de Granada, Santa Iglesia Catedral Metropolitana de la Encarnación de Granada) is a Roman Catholic church in the city of Granada, capital of the province of the same name ...

. * ''Virgen of Bethlehem'' * ''Bust of Saint Paul'' * ''Head of San Juan de Dios'' * ''Annunciation'' * ''Christ Bound to the Column'' in the church of the Convento del Stmo. Cristo de la Victoria de Serradilla (Cáceres). * Entrance of the Cathedral of Granada * ''Saint John the Baptist as a Youth'' 1634, in the

National Sculpture Museum (Valladolid) The "National Museum of Sculpture" is a museum in Valladolid, Spain, belonging to the Spanish Ministry of Culture. The museum has an extensive sculptural collection ranging from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. The collections come mostly fr ...

. * ''St. Anthony Preaching to the Fishes'' (ca. 1630) he Detroit Institute of Arts* ''Christ and the Samaritan Woman''(ca. 1650-1652)

Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando (RABASF; ), located on the Calle de Alcalá in the heart of Madrid, currently functions as a museum and gallery. A public law corporation, it is integrated together with other Spanish royal acade ...

. * ''The Death of Saint Francis''. Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, Madrid. * ''The Christ Crucified'' (c.1646) Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. Works by Cano in the

Prado Museum The Prado Museum ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It is widely considered to house one of the world's finest collections of European art, dating from the ...

in Madrid include: * ''The Crucifixion'' * ''Saint Anthony of Padua'' * ''The Crucified Christ appears to Saint Teresa'' * ''A king of Spain'' * ''Two kings of Spain'' * ''The Miracle of the Well'' * ''Saint Bernard and the Virgin'' * ''The Virgin and Child'' * ''The Dead Christ supported by an Angel''

Gallery

File:20090211 NP Inmaculada.jpg, ''Immaculate Conception'', c. 1618–20, attributed to Velázquez or Cano File:Cano - San Juan.jpg, ''Saint John and the Poisoned

Chalice A chalice (from Latin 'mug', borrowed from Ancient Greek () 'cup') or goblet is a footed cup intended to hold a drink. In religious practice, a chalice is often used for drinking during a ceremony or may carry a certain symbolic meaning. R ...

'', c. 1635–37 File:Alonso Cano - Cristo y la Samaritana - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Cristo y la Sama'', Christ and the Samaritan woman, 1640 File:Alonso Cano - Cristo recogiendo las vestiduras - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Christ Gathering his Robes'', 1646 File:Alonso Cano - Cristo crucificado - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Cristo crucificado'', Christ on the cross, 1646 File:Alonso Cano - Christ and Two Followers on the Road to Emmaus - Walters 372770.jpg, ''Christ and Two Followers on the Road to Emmaus'', between 1635 and 1650 File:Alonso Cano 003.jpg, ''Ideal portrait of a Spanish King'', 1643 File:Alonso Cano - St. Vincent Ferrer Preaching - Google Art Project.jpg, ''St. Vincent Ferrer Preaching'', c. 1644–45 File:San Bernardo y la Virgen, de Alonso Cano.jpg, ''Saint Bernard'', c. 1656–60 File:Visión de San Antonio de Padua.jpg, ''

Antony of Padua Anthony of Padua ( it, Antonio di Padova) or Anthony of Lisbon ( pt, António/Antônio de Lisboa; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese Catholic priest and friar of the Franciscan Order. He was bor ...

'', 1660–62 File:Inmaculadaalonsocano.jpg, ''Immaculate Conception'' File:Valladolid museo escultura San Juan Bautista Alonso Cano ni.JPG, ''Saint John the Baptist''

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cano, Alonso 1601 births 1667 deaths People from Granada 17th-century Spanish architects 17th-century Spanish painters Spanish male painters Spanish Baroque sculptors Spanish male sculptors Spanish Roman Catholics 17th-century Spanish sculptors Catholic sculptors Catholic painters Architects of Roman Catholic churches

Biography

Gallery

External links

References