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

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

.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 Encyclopedi ...

article

Biography

He learned architecture from his father,

Miguel Cano Miguel Cano Pacheco was a 16th- and 17th-century Spanish baroque architect and sculptor. Born in Almodóvar del Campo, he was the father and first master of Alonso Cano, renowned joiner of altarpieces. The reputation of his work and the accumula ...

; painting in the academy of Juan del Castillo, and from

Francisco Pacheco Francisco Pérez del Río (bap. 3 November 1564 – 27 November 1644), known by his pseudonym Francisco Pacheco, was a Spanish painter, best known as the teacher of Alonso Cano and Diego Velázquez, as well as the latter's father-in-law. His ...

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 sculpture, sculptor, born at Alcalá la Real, in the Jaén (Spanish province), province of Jaén. He was one of th ...

. 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 L ...

(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. The King gave him the church preferment of a canon of the Granada Cathedral (1652), in order to take up a position as chief architect of the cathedral. Towards the end of his life, he designed the cathedral façade, which was 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 In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

, 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 ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

, but afterwards returned to

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, 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 In certain Christian denominations, holy orders are the ordination, ordained ministries of bishop, priest (presbyter), and deacon, and the sacrament or rite by which candidates are ordained to those orders. Churches recognizing these orders inclu ...

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 the Latin 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 (Latin for 'body'). The cru ...

, 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 their descendants. To safeguard the Old Christian popula ...

. Works * ''San Vicente Ferrer (praying)'' * ''Virgin of the Olive Tree'' (1629) * ''Inmaculada del Facistol'' (1655–1656) in the sacristy of the Cathedral of Granada. * ''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 Serradilla is a municipality located in the province of Cáceres, in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It lies within the region of Monfragüe, near the Monfragüe National Park, an area known for its rich biodiversity and status ...

(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 an art museum in Valladolid, Spain, devoted to sculpture. It is one of the National Museums of Spain and it is attached to the Ministry of Culture. It has an extensive sculptural collection ranging from th ...

. * ''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 centre of Madrid, currently functions as a museum and gallery. A public law corporation, it is integrated together with other Spanish royal aca ...

. * ''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 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 European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th century, based on ...

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 'cup', taken from the Ancient Greek () 'cup') is a drinking cup raised on a stem with a foot or base. Although it is a technical archaeological term, in modern parlance the word is now used almost exclusively for the ...

'', c. 1635–37 File:Alonso Cano - Cristo y la Samaritana - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Cristo y la Samaritana'', 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 (Castres) Alonso Cano - L'Annonciation - Musée Goya.jpg, ''The Annunciation'', c.1655

Goya Museum The Goya Museum (French: Musée Goya) is an art museum located in Castres, France.Goya Museum

. (Castres) Alonso Cano - Le Mariage de la Vierge - Musée Goya.jpg, ''The Marriage of the Virgin'', c.1655
Goya Museum The Goya Museum (French: Musée Goya) is an art museum located in Castres, France.Goya Museum
. 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'', 1660–62 File:Inmaculadaalonsocano.jpg, ''Immaculate Conception'' File:Valladolid museo escultura San Juan Bautista Alonso Cano ni.JPG, ''Saint John the Baptist''

External links

Paintings of Alonso Cano on Insecula

Scholarly articles
about Alonso Cano both in web an
PDF
at th
Spanish Old Masters Gallery

*
Jusepe de Ribera, 1591–1652
', a full text exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which includes material on Alonso Cano (see index)

References
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cano, Alonso 1601 births 1667 deaths Artists 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