Juan Bautista Vázquez the Younger
Encyclopedia
Juan Bautista Vázquez the Younger was a Spanish
sculptor, active in the late 16th century and early 17th century, son of Juan Bautista Vázquez the Elder
, and a member of the Sevillian school of sculpture
.
. He learned his art in his father's studio and with such sculptors as Jerónimo Hernández, with whom it appears he worked as an oficial (a person who would be left in charge of operations in the master's absence), and with others who also followed his father's style.
He worked in Seville between 1578 and 1600, and had died by 1610. He married in 1579 to Lucía de Chaves, sister of his stepmother Isabel de Valdés (his father's third wide). It is quite unlikely that he would have been the same person as the Bautista Vázquez who was a notable sculptor before 1590 in the province of León. Artistically, he was not particularly known for individual personality nor originality. His work is overshadowed by his father's, and blends into the prevailing mannerism
of his time. The documents from which we know of his artistic production always reflect partnerships or transfers of assignments to other artists, perhaps with greater artistic merits but with less reputation. If the critical attributions of his work are accurate, his style represented a transition into the Baroque
, but lacking the aplomb and plasticity shown by his father, his work lacks the classical serenity that linked his father's work to the Renaissance
in a manner directly opposed to the tempestuous style of Alonso Berruguete
.
According to the known documents, in 1585 he contracted, together with Jerónimo Hernández, to produce an altarpiece
for the parish church of Santa María in Arcos de la Frontera
(province of Cádiz), taking charge of the side of the epistle
. In 1588 he contracted the collaboration of Diego López Bueno in the carving and architectural adornment; in 1590 he passed the remaining work on to Miguel de Adán. Based on stylistic resemblance to the work of his father, all that is believed to be by his own hand are the reliefs of the evangelists
Saint Luke
and Mark
, and the base of the altarpiece. It is unlikely that he executed the relief of the Visitation, which Adán claimed to be have carved.
In 1585 he worked for the Jesuits
in Seville
, and while it is not clear exactly what he worked on, he is usually attributed the oldest part of the altarpiece of the Immaculate Conception
in the Church of the Annunciation (which was a Jesuit church at the time), with a series of small figures of martyrs, a Saint Francis, a Saint Roch, and a Saint Sebastian, none of them with any particularly personal touches, although the Sebastian certainly reflects the style he would have learned in his father's studio. He is also attributed small figures of Saint Ann and the Virgin and Child, which resemble the style of Roque Balduque
.
In 1589 he transferred to Juan de Oviedo the Younger the work on the main altarpiece of the parish church of Azuaga (province of Badajoz), which had been in his charge for a year. Those who knew this work, destroyed in 1936, attributed it to Juan de Oviedo. Of the Marian themes so often present in his father's work, the Virgin and Child in the parish church of Beas (province of Huelva) does appear to be his.
He is traditionally considered the author of the Saint John the Apostle
, Saint John the Evangelist
, Christ at the Column, and the reliefs of the Annunciation
, the Epiphany
and the Circumcision on the altarpiece of the Monastery of Saint Jerome
in Granada
. However, comparative study with his father's work in the Church of Santa María in Medina Sidonia and that of the Granadan Melchor de Turín has led critics to believe these are more likely to be the work of the latter (who also was strongly influenced by the elder Vázquez). If these are works of Vázquez the Younger, there is little in them that relates to the works of the University of Seville
, nor others attributed to him; on the contrary, the reliefs and figures show interesting relationships of types, proportions and the manner of composition and execution to those of Medina Sidonia and of the Church of Santa María in Arcos de la Frontera
. In short, the art of Vázquez the Younger is surrounded by numerous doubts and disputable attributions that could either make his work an important continuation of his father's serene and classic style or, on the contrary, an obscure artist with a mannered and unoriginal production, always with the collaboration of numerous helpers who took over the work, and on occasion even the contracts.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
sculptor, active in the late 16th century and early 17th century, son of Juan Bautista Vázquez the Elder
Juan Bautista Vázquez the Elder
Juan Bautista Vázquez el Viejo was a Spanish sculptor.Born in Pelayos , as a small child he moved with his family to Ávila, where the lived adjacent to the main market square. He first learned his art there in the studio of Vasco de la Zarza. It is believed that he then went to Italy, where his...
, and a member of the Sevillian school of sculpture
Sevillian school of sculpture
The Sevillian school of sculpture—the tradition of Christian religious sculpture in Seville, Andalusia, Spain—began in the 13th century, formed a clear tradition of its own in the 16th century, and continues into the present....
.
Life and work
Vázquez the Younger followed in his father's profession, inheriting his style and clientele. Together with Isidro de Villoldo, his father initiated the style identified as the Sevillian school of sculptureSevillian school of sculpture
The Sevillian school of sculpture—the tradition of Christian religious sculpture in Seville, Andalusia, Spain—began in the 13th century, formed a clear tradition of its own in the 16th century, and continues into the present....
. He learned his art in his father's studio and with such sculptors as Jerónimo Hernández, with whom it appears he worked as an oficial (a person who would be left in charge of operations in the master's absence), and with others who also followed his father's style.
He worked in Seville between 1578 and 1600, and had died by 1610. He married in 1579 to Lucía de Chaves, sister of his stepmother Isabel de Valdés (his father's third wide). It is quite unlikely that he would have been the same person as the Bautista Vázquez who was a notable sculptor before 1590 in the province of León. Artistically, he was not particularly known for individual personality nor originality. His work is overshadowed by his father's, and blends into the prevailing mannerism
Mannerism
Mannerism is a period of European art that emerged from the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520. It lasted until about 1580 in Italy, when a more Baroque style began to replace it, but Northern Mannerism continued into the early 17th century throughout much of Europe...
of his time. The documents from which we know of his artistic production always reflect partnerships or transfers of assignments to other artists, perhaps with greater artistic merits but with less reputation. If the critical attributions of his work are accurate, his style represented a transition into the Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
, but lacking the aplomb and plasticity shown by his father, his work lacks the classical serenity that linked his father's work to the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
in a manner directly opposed to the tempestuous style of Alonso Berruguete
Alonso Berruguete
Alonso González de Berruguete was a Spanish painter, sculptor and architect. He is considered to be the most important sculptor of the Spanish Renaissance, and is known for his emotive sculptures depicting religious ecstasy or torment.Born in the town of Paredes de Nava, Berrugete studied art...
.
According to the known documents, in 1585 he contracted, together with Jerónimo Hernández, to produce an altarpiece
Altarpiece
An altarpiece is a picture or relief representing a religious subject and suspended in a frame behind the altar of a church. The altarpiece is often made up of two or more separate panels created using a technique known as panel painting. It is then called a diptych, triptych or polyptych for two,...
for the parish church of Santa María in Arcos de la Frontera
Arcos de la Frontera
Arcos de la Frontera is a town in the province of Cádiz in southern Spain. It is located on the eastern bank of the Guadalete river, which flows to the Bay of Cadiz. The town commands a fine vista atop a sandstone ridge, from which the peak of San Cristobal and the Guadalete Valley can be seen...
(province of Cádiz), taking charge of the side of the epistle
Pauline epistles
The Pauline epistles, Epistles of Paul, or Letters of Paul, are the thirteen New Testament books which have the name Paul as the first word, hence claiming authorship by Paul the Apostle. Among these letters are some of the earliest extant Christian documents...
. In 1588 he contracted the collaboration of Diego López Bueno in the carving and architectural adornment; in 1590 he passed the remaining work on to Miguel de Adán. Based on stylistic resemblance to the work of his father, all that is believed to be by his own hand are the reliefs of the evangelists
Four Evangelists
In Christian tradition the Four Evangelists are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the authors attributed with the creation of the four Gospel accounts in the New Testament that bear the following titles:*Gospel according to Matthew*Gospel according to Mark...
Saint Luke
Luke the Evangelist
Luke the Evangelist was an Early Christian writer whom Church Fathers such as Jerome and Eusebius said was the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles...
and Mark
Mark the Evangelist
Mark the Evangelist is the traditional author of the Gospel of Mark. He is one of the Seventy Disciples of Christ, and the founder of the Church of Alexandria, one of the original four main sees of Christianity....
, and the base of the altarpiece. It is unlikely that he executed the relief of the Visitation, which Adán claimed to be have carved.
In 1585 he worked for the Jesuits
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
in Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
, and while it is not clear exactly what he worked on, he is usually attributed the oldest part of the altarpiece of the Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception of Mary is a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church, according to which the Virgin Mary was conceived without any stain of original sin. It is one of the four dogmata in Roman Catholic Mariology...
in the Church of the Annunciation (which was a Jesuit church at the time), with a series of small figures of martyrs, a Saint Francis, a Saint Roch, and a Saint Sebastian, none of them with any particularly personal touches, although the Sebastian certainly reflects the style he would have learned in his father's studio. He is also attributed small figures of Saint Ann and the Virgin and Child, which resemble the style of Roque Balduque
Roque Balduque
Roque Balduque was a sculptor and maker of altarpieces. Born at an unknown date in Bois-le-Duc , capital of North Brabant in Flanders, he is known for his work in Spain in the last years of his life.-Life:Balduque was married to a woman known as Isabel de Balduq; with a son, they settled in...
.
In 1589 he transferred to Juan de Oviedo the Younger the work on the main altarpiece of the parish church of Azuaga (province of Badajoz), which had been in his charge for a year. Those who knew this work, destroyed in 1936, attributed it to Juan de Oviedo. Of the Marian themes so often present in his father's work, the Virgin and Child in the parish church of Beas (province of Huelva) does appear to be his.
He is traditionally considered the author of the Saint John the Apostle
John the Apostle
John the Apostle, John the Apostle, John the Apostle, (Aramaic Yoħanna, (c. 6 - c. 100) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of James, another of the Twelve Apostles...
, Saint John the Evangelist
John the Evangelist
Saint John the Evangelist is the conventional name for the author of the Gospel of John...
, Christ at the Column, and the reliefs of the Annunciation
Annunciation
The Annunciation, also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary or Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Virgin Mary, that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus the Son of God. Gabriel told Mary to name her...
, the Epiphany
Theophany
Theophany, from the Ancient Greek , meaning "appearance of God"), refers to the appearance of a deity to a human or other being, or to a divine disclosure....
and the Circumcision on the altarpiece of the Monastery of Saint Jerome
Monastery of Saint Jerome (Granada)
The Monastery of St. Jerome is a Roman Catholic church and Hieronymite monastery in Granada, Spain. Architecturally, it is in the Renaissance style...
in Granada
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
. However, comparative study with his father's work in the Church of Santa María in Medina Sidonia and that of the Granadan Melchor de Turín has led critics to believe these are more likely to be the work of the latter (who also was strongly influenced by the elder Vázquez). If these are works of Vázquez the Younger, there is little in them that relates to the works of the University of Seville
University of Seville
The Universidad de Sevilla or University of Seville, in English, is a top-ranked European university in Seville, Spain. Founded under the name of Colegio Santa María de Jesús in 1505, the University of Seville, with a student body of over 50,000, is one of the top-ranked universities in the country...
, nor others attributed to him; on the contrary, the reliefs and figures show interesting relationships of types, proportions and the manner of composition and execution to those of Medina Sidonia and of the Church of Santa María in Arcos de la Frontera
Arcos de la Frontera
Arcos de la Frontera is a town in the province of Cádiz in southern Spain. It is located on the eastern bank of the Guadalete river, which flows to the Bay of Cadiz. The town commands a fine vista atop a sandstone ridge, from which the peak of San Cristobal and the Guadalete Valley can be seen...
. In short, the art of Vázquez the Younger is surrounded by numerous doubts and disputable attributions that could either make his work an important continuation of his father's serene and classic style or, on the contrary, an obscure artist with a mannered and unoriginal production, always with the collaboration of numerous helpers who took over the work, and on occasion even the contracts.