Felipe Bigarny
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Felipe Bigarny, also known as Felipe Vigarny, Felipe Biguerny or Felipe de Borgoña, nicknamed the Burgundian (Langres, Burgundy, c. 1475 – Toledo, November 10, 1543), was a Burgundian master sculptor and carver living in Spain, considered one of the most distinguished of the Spanish Renaissance. He also presented some projects as an architect.
Flemish, Burgundian and Italian Renaissance traits coexist in his works. He achieved great prestige and became the master of sculpture and carving of the Cathedral of Burgos. He also took part in important works throughout the Crown of Castile, with which he managed several workshops simultaneously, which gave him a good socioeconomic position.
Trajectory
Youth
He was born in Langres (Burgundy), it is believed that in 1475. When he was already a few years old, it seems that he traveled to Italy, since when he was older he pointed out that he had been in Rome in his youth. This trip to Italy would explain his knowledge of the Italian Renaissance before the year 1500; many features of this style were present in his initially Gothic formation.
Life in Spain
In 1498, when he was about 23 years old, he was on the way to Santiago when he stopped in Burgos. There they commissioned him the reliefs of the cathedral's high altar, carrying them out with great success, which would lead to the hiring of new jobs and his residence for life in Spain. It would be the beginning of an unstoppable activity in all sculptural genres, working as a decorator and image maker, with stone and wood.
In 1499 he designed the outlines for the main altarpiece of the Cathedral of Santa María de Toledo, hired by Cardinal Cisneros, its archbishop, also preparing a figure of Saint Mark and undertaking to sculpt four main reliefs, of which that the two upper ones on the central street are unequivocally attributed to him, finishing these commissions in 1504. In these years he also made some images for the altarpiece of the University of Salamanca.
He then began to prepare the decoration of the Tabernacle chapel of the Cathedral of Palencia, making it clear that even if the work was done in his workshop, the artist undertook to sculpt all the faces and hands. On December 12, 1506, Bigarny delivered seventeen sculptures (including an already polychrome Saint Antolin ) and on October 19, 1509 he delivered the remaining nine. These were finally placed on the main altarpiece. That year he returned to Burgos to work together with Andrés de Nájera on the choir stalls of the cathedral, which was finished in 1512. The panels of the upper row of the side chairs are attributed to him and his workshop.
In 1513 he designed the canopy for the tomb of Santo Domingo for the Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada, which would be carried out by Juan de Rasines.
In 1516 he began working on the doorway and main altarpiece of the church of Santo Tomás de Haro, finishing in 1519. That year he lived for a time in Casalarreina, which led to the belief that he would have collaborated in the construction of the Monastery of Nuestra Señora de la Piedad, without having data to indicate so.
In these years he made a relief of the profile portrait of Cardinal Cisneros, which is currently in the Complutense University of Madrid. There are data on the realization of another by Antonio de Nebrija.
He married María Sáez Pardo, a widow with children who had emigrated to America; with her he had five children. The first, Gregorio Pardo, was born in 1517. When he grew up, he would be the only son who would continue the work of his father, collaborating with him in his later years, maintaining his father's workshop in the diocese of Toledo. His beautiful daughter Clara was known in Burgos as The Silver Girl .
In 1519 Bigarny collaborated with Alonso Berruguete in the elaboration of the tomb of Cardinal Selvagio in Zaragoza, probably continuing this collaboration in the Royal Chapel of Granada, of which it seems that Bigarny only participated in its design in 1521.
Collaboration with Diego de Siloé
Upon returning to Burgos, he began to collaborate with Diego de Siloé, from Burgos, who returned to his city around 1519 after finishing his training in Italy. In 1523, he made the altarpiece of Saint Peter in the chapel of the Constable of the Cathedral from Burgos. In the same chapel, between 1523 and 1526, they made the figures for the main altarpiece, with the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, considered one of the most beautiful works of the Hispanic Renaissance. Before 1534 Bigarny would have also made the recumbent sculptures of the founders of the chapel, Pedro Fernández III de Velasco and his wife.
He had a certain rivalry with Diego de Siloé. Aware of his fame and respect in the city, Bigarny took up permanent residence in Burgos, first in a building in the San Juan neighborhood and later in an outstanding house next to the Casa de la Moneda.
Dating from 1524 is the contract for the tomb of canon Gonzalo Díez de Lerma, also in Burgos Cathedral, in the Chapel of the Presentation. It is very expressive and has influences from the style of Diego de Siloé.
In these years, the undocumented works of an altarpiece in Santiago de la Puebla (Salamanca) and the sculptures of the Virgen de la Silla and Virgin with Child are attributed to him. > for the Church of the Assumption of El Barco de Ávila; the latter is exhibited at the National Museum of Sculpture in Valladolid. Also due to its similarity with some of his works, the tomb of canon Diego Bilbao and an altarpiece that is preserved in the parish of Cardeñuela Riopico are attributed to him.
He appeared in the 1526 book Medidas del Romano by Diego de Sagredo as one of the interlocutors and was praised as a singular artist in the art of sculpture and statuary. Then he received orders from many places in Spain.
In 1527 he finished the altarpiece of the Descent or of the Pillar in the Cathedral of Toledo, which would probably have begun in 1520. This work is also highly influenced by the Siloé style, although soon after the relationship with it became cloudy due to of differences in the contracting of the construction of the tower of the church of the Asunción de Nuestra Señora de Santa María del Campo, for which Siloé filed and won a lawsuit against Bigarny.
Last years
In 1530 he gave an opinion on the work of the Cathedral of Salamanca. Between 1531 and 1533 he made the tomb of Bishop Alonso de Burgos, for the chapel of the Colegio de San Gregorio de Valladolid (National Museum of Sculpture). Although this work was highly praised, it has less merit. In 1534 he made the sepulcher of Pedro González Manso, bishop of Osma, for the monastery of San Salvador de Oña.
When his wife died, he married Francisca Velasco in 1535; and had five other children. In 1535, the Toledo council requested some drawings from him to execute the choir stalls of the cathedral, in addition to Diego de Siloe, Juan Picardo and Alonso Berruguete. Finally, they were entrusted to Bigarny and Berruguete, who undertook on January 1, 1539, to make thirty-five chairs each. Felipe would do the ones on the Gospel side and he should also do the archiepiscopal one.
In 1536 he signed a contract to carry out in two years the tombs of Diego de Avellaneda, bishop of Tuy (designed for its original placement in the Monastery of San Jerónimo de Espeja, in Espejón, Soria) and that of his father (today preserved in Alcalá de Henares). In 1539 he had not yet been able to carry them out due to his dedication to other commissions, subcontracting the bulk figures to Enrique de Maestrique. It would be one of the unfinished works at his death, being finished by Juan de Gómez. The tomb of Diego de Avellaneda was purchased by the Spanish State in 1932 to form part of the permanent collection of the Museo Nacional Colegio de San Gregorio in Valladolid.
In 1541 he was commissioned to create an altarpiece for the Museum-Hospital of Santa Cruz in Toledo, which he would not execute.
He died in 1542 having contracted and underway works in Toledo (where Berruguete would finish his unfinished part), Peñaranda de Duero, Valpuesta and Burgos. He had a workshop organized in each of those places, which in his absence was in charge of one of his officers. Among them were Maese Enrique, Diego Guillén, Sebastián de Salinas, Juan de Goyaz and his son Gregorio Pardo. Among these, Diego Guillén stood out, his trusted officer, married to a sister-in-law of Bigarny.
He was buried in the disappeared convent of San Pablo de Burgos.
Descendants
He had five children with María Sáez Pardo, among whom may have been the sculptor Gregorio Pardo. His daughter Clara was known in Burgos for her beauty and was nicknamed the silver girl. With Francisca Velasco he had five other children.
Her style
His works from the late XV century in Burgos present a remarkably innovative style and are easily identifiable by their very marked features, which he managed to impose on his extensive and disciplined workshop.
Works
The cities with the largest number of works by the sculptor are Burgos, being the city where he lived most of his life, and Toledo, the city where he had his own workshop.
Sculpture
It was the art in which he worked the most. In it he had successes that led him to be famous in his time.
Cathedral of Burgos
Relief of the Road to Calvary
His first work in Burgos was a large relief for the cathedral chapter, representing the Camino del Calvario, which would be used to decorate the central wall panel of the cathedral in Burgos. The work began in 1498 and was finished in March 1499, meeting the deadline agreed with the Cabildo, which paid him the agreed 200 ducats and another 30 more as a token of his gratitude for his work. This work caused a great impact because it surpassed the late Gothic style and in it appeared for the first time a Renaissance ornamentation on the pilasters of the Jerusalem gate, which were finished off with two classical themes in relation to the twelve labors of Hercules. After completing this work, Felipe received new commissions that forced him to settle in Burgos.
Three reliefs from trasaltar
The council asked him to make two more high reliefs to match the one already made. These would be located in two other panels of the trasaltar. The first of them would represent the Crucifixion and the second The Descent from the Cross and the Resurrection. Both ended in the year 1503.
The three reliefs show the early style of Bigarny, with shapes typical of the late Gothic of northern Europe. They have figures of noble bearing, dramatic attitudes and gestures, forced expression and capable of moving the viewer. Other Renaissance elements also appear, such as the movement and diagonal composition of the first of the panels. The poor quality of the stone in which the reliefs and their frame were carved, especially the Apóstoles due to Simón de Colonia and his workshop, has seriously altered their initial state.
Chapel of the Constables
In collaboration with Diego de Siloé, he made the altarpiece for the chapel of the Constables of Castile. He carved in Carrara marble the recumbent sculptures of the Constable of Castile Pedro Fernández III de Velasco and his wife Mencía de Mendoza y Figueroa that are found there.
Choir stalls
Choir stalls, in the main nave.
Other works
- Elder altarpiece of the Cathedral of Santa Maria de Toledo (from 1500 to 1503). He worked with Copín from Holland. It contrasts the Gothic style of this ensemble in sculpture and architecture with the Renaissance style of the altarpiece of the Descension made for the same cathedral.
- Retablo de la Universidad de Salamanca (1503).
- Sculptures of the altarpiece of the main chapel of the Cathedral of Palencia (between 1505 and 1507). It is partly a workshop work and Bigarny only committed to the faces of his hand.
- Coral sillery of Burgos Cathedral (1505-1512). It was ordered by the Cabildo within the renovation plan. Bigarny had the soloist Andrés de Nájera and a team of officers of very different categories. It's over in 1512.
- Retablo de la Capilla de los Reyes de la Iglesia de San Gil de Burgos (principles of the centuryXVI). Tardogotic tradition is mixed with some Renaissance elements in both sculpture and architecture. It is inspired by the Chapel of the Good Morning of this same parish.
- Retablo para la Catedral Magistral de los Santos Niños Justo y Pastor de Alcalá de Henares y dos retablos para Torrelaguna (Madrid) (principles of the centuryXVI). In charge of Cardinal Cisneros and made together with Leon Picardo.
- Retablo para don Gutierre de Mier and for the church of Cervera de Pisuerga (Palencia) (1513).
- Retablo de la devotion de San Bartolomé (1514). This was for the altar of the fellowship of the saint, in the church of St. Stephen of Burgos. Leon Picardo was to take care of the painting; he collaborated continuously with Bigarny, polychrome many of his sculptures. The work is currently in the church of San Lesmes de Burgos. It is formed by an image of the saint's lump, a series of painted boards and a silver-shaped architecture.
- Portada y retablo mayor de la Iglesia de Santo Tomás de Haro (between 1516 and 1519). The two were built by Iñigo Fernández de Velasco and Mendoza. The altarpiece was destroyed after a part of the building collapsed during its construction.
- Sepulchre of Cardinal Selvagio (1519). I would do it along with Berruguete in Zaragoza.
- Elder altarpiece of the Royal Chapel of Granada, built in honor of the Catholic Kings. He designed the ensemble, in which Alonso de Berruguete and Jacopo Florentino could also intervene.
- Retablo de la Descensión o del Pilar in the Cathedral of Toledo, held between 1520 and 1527.
- Tomb of the canon Gonzalo de Lerma, for the chapel of the Presentation of the Cathedral of Burgos. Made of white alabaster in 1524.
- Part of the sillery of the choir of Toledo Cathedral. Between 1539 and his death.
- Sculptures of the Palacio de los Condes de Miranda in Peñaranda de Duero.
Attributions about which there are doubts
Although traditionally the decoration of the monastery of Nuestra Señora de la Piedad de Casalarreina has been attributed to Bigarny and it is known that in 1519 he lived for a time in this town, there is no indication whatsoever to suppose that Felipe and Matías, his carver, They will work in the works of this church. José Martí y Monsó carried out a study on the works of Haro and Casalarreina, giving a negative result for the latter, with which most current specialists no longer attribute their authorship to Bigarny or his workshop.
Architecture
Little has been said about Bigarny as an architect. He did not have great successes with his architectural works despite his efforts to introduce himself to works of this type. It is believed that he made some designs for the dome of Burgos Cathedral (which was finally rebuilt with plans from one of his disciples, Juan de Langres) and the arch of Santa María in the same city. He presented a project for the tower of the church of Santa María del Campo, without being elected.