Other names

Biography

Esteban Conejo, who later changed his surname to "de Rueda", was born in Toro (Zamora) in 1585 and entered the workshop of Sebastián Ducete (1568-1620) in 1598 (Vasallo Toranzo, 2004). The artist's family background is unknown, although it is likely that his parents had died due to an epidemic of bubonic plague when he was young. He worked as an apprentice in the workshop of Sebastián Ducete until 1604, when he became a journeyman, a position he held until 1612 (Vasallo Toranzo, 2004). During those years he married Inés del Moral, cousin of his master. Numerous works by Esteban de Rueda are scattered in museums and institutions. See, in this regard: Christ tied to the column (Pedrosa del Rey, Valladolid); St. John the Baptist (Los Angeles County Museum) or Altarpiece of the Baptism of Christ (Convent of St. John the Baptist of Tordesillas, Valladolid).

Bibliography

• MARTÍN GONZÁLEZ, Juan José (1971): Escultura barroca castellana, Fundación Lázaro Galdiano, Madrid, pp. 15-19.
• NIETO, José Ramón y CASASECA, Antonio (1976): "Aportaciones al estudio de Sebastián de Ucete y Esteban de Rueda", nº 42, Boletín del Seminario de Estudios de Arte y Arqueología: BSAA.
• URREA, Jesús (1982): "Los Maestros de Toro: nuevos datos y obras", nº 48, BSAA, pp. 243-252.
• VASALLO TORANZO, Luis (1998): "Esteban de Rueda tras la muerte de Sebastián Ducete", nº 64, Boletín del Seminario de Estudios de Arte y Arqueología: BSAA.
• VASALLO TORANZO, Luis (2009): "Esteban de Rueda", en The Mystery of faith: an eye on Spanish sculpture 1550-1750, Matthiesen Fine Art, Londres.
• VASALLO TORANZO, Luis (2004): Sebastián Ducete y Esteban de Rueda: escultores entre el manierismo y el barroco, Instituto de Estudios Zamoranos «Florián de Ocampo», Zamora.