Other names

Biography

There is hardly any information about the biography of Juan Francés, master rejero. His surname indicates his place of origin, something that is confirmed in one of the accounts that were made to contract a grating where he is named as “Juan de Francia” (Andrés, 1956). His date of birth and death is unknown, since, although his will dated 1518 is preserved, Juan Francés continued to receive commissions afterwards. In 1495 he was already known in Toledo and it is recorded that in 1533 he was paid for a work he did in the parish of San Pedro of the Cathedral of Sigüenza (Andrés, 1956). Therefore, in the thirties he was still active. The master settled in Toledo, in the parish of San Pedro. He exerted a great influence on Spanish grillwork, to such an extent that in all the cities where he worked there were workshops that followed his models. His grilles combined elements of the Gothic tradition with the initial forms of the Renaissance. According to Andrés (1956), Juan Francés made three types of grilles: Gothic grilles carved by force of forging with finials on the bars; grilles of twisted bars with small friezes and grilles that drink from the Renaissance influence with cornucopias, putti, etc. Juan Francés made grilles for Toledo, Ávila, Burgo de Osma, Medinaceli, Cuenca, Coria and Alcalá de Henares, among others (Andrés, 1956; Gallego, 1982). 

Bibliography

• ANDRÉS, Teresa (1956): "El rejero Juan Francés", nº 29, Archivo español de arte.
• GALLEGO DE MIGUEL, Amelia (1962): "El maestro Juan Francés y las rejas del Hospital Real de Santiago de Compostela", en Homenaje al profesor Cayetano de Mergelina, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia.
• GALLEGO DE MIGUEL, Amelia (1982): Rejería castellana. Valladolid, Institución Cultural Simancas, Valladolid.
• HERNÁNDEZ NÚÑEZ, Juan Carlos (2011): "La reja de la capilla de San Pedro de la catedral de Sigüenza", nº 23, Laboratorio de Arte, pp. 107-124.