Biography

Alonso Berruguete is one of the most important artists of the 16th century in Castile and León. Although there is little information about his birth, it is estimated to have occurred around 1488 in Paredes de Nava (Palencia). His father, Pedro Berruguete, was a painter who trained in Italy within the circle of Federico da Montefeltro, for whom he decorated a palace. Alonso Berruguete likely received his initial training within his father's environment. However, in 1504, after the death of his father, he decided to travel to Italy to continue learning from other Renaissance artists (Parrado del Olmo, 1983). Vasari noted in Le Vite Berruguete’s stay in Florence and Rome, although it is also possible that he visited Urbino, driven by his desire to see the city where his father had worked (Sánchez Cantón, 1923). There, he was able to observe the works of contemporary artists and admire the earliest Renaissance works in Italy. Berruguete’s return to Spain took place during the reign of Charles I of Spain and V of the Holy Roman Empire (1500-1558), possibly attracted by the potential commissions from the monarch. Motivated by the growth of Valladolid (Pascual Molina, 2013), he decided to settle there in 1523, where he created the doors of a triptych for the Church of San Lorenzo, the altarpiece of the Monastery of La Mejorada in Olmedo, and the altarpiece of the Monastery of San Benito, among others. Later, he received a commission in Toledo to make the high choir stalls of the cathedral, where Felipe Bigarny also worked (Gaya Nuño, 1959). Numerous works attributed to Alonso Berruguete are present in museums and collections. Notable examples include: Allegory of Temperance (Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid), San Sebastian (Museo Nacional de Escultura, Valladolid), and Apostle (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York).

Bibliography

• GAYA NUÑO, Juan Antonio (1959): Alonso Berruguete en Toledo, Juventud, Barcelona.
• PARRADO DEL OLMO, Jesús María (1983): Alonso Berruguete, Caja de Ahorros Popular de Valladolid, Valladolid.
• PASCUAL MOLINA, Jesús Félix (2013): Fiesta y poder : La corte en Valladolid (1502-1559), Ediciones Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid.
• SÁNCHEZ CANTÓN, Francisco Javier (1923): Fuentes literarias para la historia del arte español, vol. I, Imprenta clásica española, Madrid.