Other names

Biography

Master Bartolomé was a Hispano-Flemish painter active in Castile during the last third of the 15th century. There is little documentary evidence available to shed light on his origins and training, but he is believed to have been born around 1455, as by 1480 he was already undertaking significant commissions. Only one signed painting by him survives, the Virgin and Child (Museo Nacional del Prado). However, this has enabled scholars to reconstruct part of his oeuvre by comparing it with other existing works (Gudiol, 1955; Silva, 2004; Yarza, 2006; Dotseth, Anderson, and Roglán, 2008). In 1482, a document from the Chapter Acts of Salamanca Cathedral mentions a painter named Bartolomé, a resident of Salamanca. Therefore, it is possible that in that year he moved from Salamanca to Ciudad Rodrigo to work on the altarpiece (Ramos Gómez, 2021). He collaborated with Fernando Gallego (Gaya, 1958), and in the early 20th century, prior to the discovery of his identity, he was referred to as the "Master of the Armours" and the "Master of the Sinister Faces." His painting is characterised by the repetition of similar human types, draped in voluminous robes, and by the intricate detailing of their garments (Anderson, 2008). Several works are attributed to Master Bartolomé and are housed in various museums and collections. Examples include St. Mark and St. Catherine with Don Juan Ruiz de Pelegrina (Sigüenza Cathedral, Guadalajara); Christ among the Doctors and The Creation of Eve (University of Arizona Art Museum, Tucson).

Bibliography

• DOTSETH, Amanda W., ANDERSON, Barbara C., ROGLÁN, Mark A. (eds.) (2008): Fernando Gallego and His Workshop: The Altarpiece from Ciudad Rodrigo, vol. catálogo de exposición (Dallas, 2008), Meadows Museum, Southern Methodist University, y Philip Wilson Publishers, Londres.
• GAYA NUÑO, Juan Antonio (1958): "Sobre el retablo de Ciudad Rodrigo por Fernando Gallego y sus colaboradores", vol. 31, nº 128, Archivo Español de Arte.
• GUDIOL RICART, José (1955): Pintura Gótica. Ars Hispaniae. Historia Universal del Arte Hispánico, Plus Ultra, Madrid.
• RAMOS GÓMEZ, Francisco Javier (2021): "El Maestro Bartolomé en la Catedral de Sigüenza. Una hipótesis en relación al retablo de San Marcos y Santa Catalina", vol. 94, nº 374, Archivo Español de Arte.
• SILVA MAROTO, Pilar (2004): Fernando Gallego, Caja Duero, Salamanca.
• YARZA LUACES, Joaquín (2006): "El retablo mayor de la catedral de Ciudad Rodrigo de Fernando Gallego", La catedral de Ciudad Rodrigo a través de los siglos: visiones y revisiones, Diputación Provincial de Salamanca, Salamanca.