Biography

The Castilian workshop of the miniaturist Juan de Carrión in the 15th century produced works of extraordinary quality, as can be seen in the choir books of Ávila cathedral. This is documented by the payments for the production of these choir books in 1470-1472 (Silva Maroto, 1982), as well as by three signed miniatures. He was in charge of an important workshop that enjoyed the favour of the court. When Gómez-Moreno studied these works, he noted that on the pages illustrated with the Adoration of the Magi, the following appeared: JOHAN DE CARRIÓN ME FECIT, written under the miniature; also on the one illustrated with the Resurrection: TODAS LAS LETRAS DE ESTOS LIBROS FISO IOHAN DE CARRIÓN, also written under the miniature. Signature that also appears in the one dedicated to Pentecost and in the one dedicated to the Nativity: CARRIÓN (Gómez-Moreno, 1983).

According to Bosch, three stylistic elements tend to appear in the illuminated works that came out of Juan de Carrión's workshop: the model used in the miniatures, the decorative borders and the characteristic types of illuminated initials. All the miniaturists who worked in this style would form part of the master's circle of influence, although Juan de Carrión was the most outstanding of them all. (Bosch, 1991).

Bibliography

• BOSCH, Lynette M. (1991): "Los manuscritos abulenses de Juan de Carrión", vol. 64, nº 253, en Archivo Español de Arte.
• DOMÍNGUEZ BORDONA, Jesús (1930): "Las miniaturas de Juan de Carrión", vol. VI, nº 16, en Archivo Español de Arte y Arqueología.
• GÓMEZ-MORENO, Manuel (1983): Catálogo monumental de la provincia de Ávila. Texto, Ministerio de Cultura e Institución Gran Duque de Alba (ed. de Áurea de la Morena y de Teresa Pérez Higuera), Ávila.
• SABE ANDREU, Ana (2013): "Libros de música en la catedral de Ávila hasta 1630", en SUÁREZ PAJARES, Javier y GÓMEZ DEL SOL, Manuel (ed.), Estudios. Tomás Luis de Victoria. Studies, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid.
• SILVA MAROTO, Pilar (1982): "La miniatura Hispano-flamenca en Ávila: Nuevos datos documentales", en Miscelánea de Arte, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid.