Biography

There is little information about Bartolomé de Castro, a painter who was probably a native of Castile. His surname and the geographical area in which he moved seem to corroborate this. Bartolomé de Castro was greatly influenced by Fernando Gallego, the Master of Astorga, Juan de Flandes, the Master of Becerril and Pedro Berruguete (Mateo, 2002). In fact, Post (1947) considered him to be a follower of the latter, but with a more individualized style. Diego Angulo (1954) referred to him as an artist of low quality who made large and awkward figures, however, Camón Aznar (1970) describes him as a painter with great Hispanic sensibility. If we look at his early works we can observe figures with an exaggerated, almost caricatured realism, undoubtedly influenced by Gallego. Later he endowed his figures with greater monumentality and plasticity, something that has been attributed to the influence of Juan de Flandes. Finally, the detail of the jewels, precious stones and brocades, something characteristic of Pedro Berruguete, is striking (Mateo, 2002). Numerous works by Bartolomé de Castro are scattered in museums and institutions. Examples include: Saint Dominic(Museo Lázaro Galdiano, Madrid); Pope Honorius III approves the Rule of Saint Francis of Assisi (Philadelphia Museum of Art) or the Circumcision (Archbishop's Palace, Palencia).

Bibliography

• ANGULO ÍÑIGUEZ, Diego (1954): Ars Hispaniae, vol. XII, Plus Ultra, Madrid, p. 105.
• CAMÓN AZNAR, José (1965): "Bartolomé de Castro en el Museo Lázaro Galdiano", nº 67, Goya: revista de arte, pp. 31-34.
• CAMÓN AZNAR, José (1970): La pintura española del siglo XVI, nº 24, en Summa Artis, Espasa-Calpe, Madrid, p. 204.
• MATEO, Isabel (2002): "Bartolomé de Castro: formación y estilo", nº 68, Boletín del Seminario de Estudios de Arte y Arqueología: BSAA, pp. 199-224.
• POST, Chandler Rathfon (1947): A History of Spanish Painting, vol. 9 (The Beginning of the Renaissance in Castile and Leon), nº 2, Harvard University Press, Cambridge (Massachusetts), p. 426.
• SILVA MAROTO, Pilar (1992): "En torno a Bartolomé de Castro", en Homenaje al profesor Hernández Perera, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, pp. 437-452.