Biography

Martín de Carvajal was an artist documented in the province of Zamora between 1529 and 1546. Although his origins and training are unknown, it is believed that he may have learned the craft in Toledo or Ávila (Casaseca, 1991). In 1529, sources identify him as a resident of Toro (Zamora), where he was working on the altarpiece for the church of the Convent of San Francisco at that time, a project on which he collaborated with Lorenzo de Ávila. He worked as an assistant in his workshop until 1532, at which point he began to be mentioned alongside Juan de Borgoña II (Fiz, 2003). His style is characterized by the use of the same human type: a rounded, somewhat expressionless face. Over time, his figures became monumental, occupying the foreground almost entirely. When the scene takes place outdoors, he places cities and mountains in the distance; conversely, if the scene is set indoors, the spatial composition becomes naive, and the figures are larger than the architectural elements surrounding them (Fiz, 2023). The altarpieces on which he collaborated and for which we have documentation are those at Villavendimio and San Francisco in Toro. However, there are numerous works attributed to Martín de Carvajal scattered throughout museums and institutions. See, for example, the following: the main altarpiece of the Church of San Nicolás in Castroverde de Campos (Zamora); the main altarpiece of the Church of San Esteban in Pinilla de Toro (Zamora); and *The Flight into Egypt* at the Walters Art Museum (Baltimore, United States).

Bibliography

• CASASECA CASASECA, Antonio (1991): "Arte moderno y contemporáneo", en Zamora, Mediterráneo, Madrid, p. 126.
• FIZ FUERTES, Irune (2023): Pintura y pintores en Zamora (1525-1580). Un estudio del caso sobre la asimilación del Renacimiento en el noroeste castellano-leonés y su irradiación, Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid, pp. 89-103.
• FIZ FUERTES, Irune (2003): Lorenzo de Ávila, Juan de Borgoña II y su escuela. La recepción del Renacimiento en Tierras de Zamora y León, Publicaciones del Centro de Estudios Benaventanos Ledo del Pozo, Benavente, pp. 130-143.