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Bartolome OrdonezSpanish sculptor of the Renaissance.
Country:
 Spain |
Content:
Biography of Bartolomé Ordoñez
Bartolomé Ordoñez was a Spanish sculptor of the Renaissance period. Not much is known about his life, except for the last five years. Historians believe that he was born around 1480 in Burgos, Spain, and came from a noble family. He had a sister named Marina who remained in Burgos. Growing up during the early flourishing of the Spanish Renaissance, Ordoñez was likely influenced by pioneering artists such as Andrés de Nájera and possibly Gil de Siloé, who had studied in Italy, and Domenico Fancelli, an Italian sculptor.
Early Career in Barcelona
In 1515, Ordoñez opened a studio in Barcelona with three marble sculptors: Simón de Bellalana, Victorio Cogono, and Juan Florentino. Little is known about the next two years of his life and work. However, on May 7, 1517, he was commissioned by the chapter of the Barcelona Cathedral to create wooden sculptures for the choir and marble decorations for the space behind the altar. Shortly after, he and Juan Petit Monet received a commission to create a sculptural group depicting the Deposition of Jesus Christ for the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, although this work has not survived to this day. These choir decorations were part of the preparations for a gathering of the Order of the Golden Fleece, which was to be held in March 1519 and presided over by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. This was Ordoñez's first documented work, executed with the assistance of his Italian collaborators, Juan Petit Monet and skilled woodcarvers brought in for the urgency and scale of the project. Despite his youth, Ordoñez showed strong leadership in the unity of style in all the sculptural decorations. The upper part of the choir depicted scenes from the Old and New Testaments, four evangelists, and seven virtues. All of them were distinguished by their quality and iconographic originality in the portrayal of the Virgin Mary.
Time in Naples
In December 1517, Ordoñez visited Naples, where he worked with Diego Siloé in the chapel of Caracciolo di Vico in the church of Saint John Carbonara. This is confirmed by a letter from Pietro Summonte, an Italian Renaissance humanist, dated 1524. There is indeed compositional and technical similarity between the sculptures in the Barcelona Cathedral and the Neapolitan chapel. It is believed that this was not Ordoñez's only work in Naples, and he may have been involved in the creation of funerary monuments for Galeazzo Pandone in the church of San Domenico Maggiore and Andrea Bonifacio Cicaro in the church of Saints Severinus and Sosius.
Final Years
Returning to Barcelona in early 1519, Ordoñez married Catalina Calaf but stayed in Barcelona for a short time. By autumn, he left for Carrara, intending to return to Barcelona. However, his young wife passed away, and Ordoñez decided to stay in Carrara, opening a new studio. He worked diligently but tragically died the following year, on December 6, 1520. Ordoñez did not have the chance to complete the marble sculptures for the cathedral, and they were eventually finished in 1562 by Pedro Villar.
