SCULPTURE IN GERMANY, FRANCE, ENGLAND, AND SPAIN, FROM 1450 TO 1550.
In Italy, as we have seen, the sculpture of the Renaissance was much
advanced by the fact that in the beginning of its growth the
architecture of the country was largely an imitation of Greek
architecture; and as the same artist was frequently an architect,
sculptor, and painter, edifices were designed with the purpose of
placing the works of the sculptor in the most favorable positions.
In the countries north of Italy sculpture had no such aid or advantages.
The Gothic style of architecture was a hindrance to the sculptor, whose
works were combined with it. The Gothic construction afforded no broad,
generous spaces for sculpture; all plastic work must be confined in
limited spaces between columns and baldachins, or in arched niches, or
between narrow flutings; and though something had been done to vary the
upright stiffness of the statues of its earliest days, there was no
freedom for the realistic and natural tendencies of the Renaissance art
to develop in.
Another advantage on the side of Italian art was the fact that Italy was
a land of grace and beauty; its people were more refined in manner, more
elegant and picturesque in their costumes than were those of Northern
Europe, and all the influences surrounding the Italian artist were far
more favorable to a development of his artistic nature than were those
of France or Germany. Then, too, the remains of antique art which were
within reach of the Italian sculptor were quite shut off from others.
For all these and other reasons the sculpture of the north was more
tardy in taking on the better spirit and form of the Renaissance, and as
a whole it never became as pleasing to most people as was the sculpture
of Italy.
In a former chapter we have spoken of the sculptor Claux Sluter and his
work at Dijon in the fourteenth century; the desire which he showed to
make his figures like the men they represented, and a general study of
nature rather than of older works of sculpture, had much effect upon the
sculpture of his time, and gradually became much exaggerated. German
sculptors tried not only to make exact portraits of the faces and heads
of their figures, but they gave the same attention to imitating every
detail of costume and every personal peculiarity of the model from which
they worked. This tended to weaken and narrow their own designs, and the
whole effect of their work is fantastic and exaggerated--an effect quite
opposed to the noble and harmonious treatment of the whole which the
best Italian masters strove to attain.
The attempt to produce startling effects in German art made such
subjects as the Passion of Christ, the Temptation of St. Anthony, and
the Martyrdoms of the Saints to be constantly repeated, and many reliefs
are overloaded with such details as may very properly be used in
painting, and which belong to _picturesque_ art, but which take away the
dignity and calm grandeur which should make the spirit of sculpture. But
there is one feature of German sculpture at this time which appeals to
our sympathy--that is, the deep, earnest feeling which pervades it, and
which constantly tried new methods of expression.
In Germany there were guilds or trade-associations, and the members of
these guilds were allowed to work in the special branch only of
sculpture which belonged to their company, so that this art was divided
by more fixed lines than in Italy, where, in truth, at the period of
which we speak, the Florentine school was a supreme power, and its
sculptors, as we have seen, worked in as many sorts of sculpture as
pleased them.
The schools of Germany were far more independent of each other, and the
entire organization of art in Germany was very different from that of
Italy.
One of the most prominent effects of the architecture of Germany was to
drive the sculptors to seek for such work as had no relation to
architecture, and an important result from this was the great attention
which they paid to wood-carving; indeed, this was the favorite pursuit
of the German sculptors for many years. About the middle of the
fifteenth century the importance of this art in Germany was far greater
than those of bronze-casting or stone sculpture.
The principal works in wood-carving were the altars, which finally came
to be colossal in size, and with their multitude of reliefs, statuettes,
and ornaments were marvellous monuments to the industry and skill of the
wood-carvers. The reliefs in these works are usually arranged on
landscape backgrounds, and so much resemble pictures in many ways that
the colors and gilding which were freely used on them do not seem out of
place, and it appears to be quite natural that wood-carvers should often
have been painters also.
The Swabian school, the principal seat of which was Ulm, was the
earliest to adopt the new, realistic style. There are works by Swabian
artists which show this tendency as early as 1431. JOeRG SYRLIN, who
flourished during the last half of the fifteenth century, was an eminent
wood-carver, and as he did not color his works he can be better judged
as a sculptor than he could be if the effect of the whole depended
partly upon painting. The choir-stalls in the Cathedral of Ulm and the
fountain in the market-place, called "Fischkasten," are his most
important works; but a singing-desk, now in the museum, and other lesser
pieces are also excellent examples of his style. The choir-stalls have
an immense number of figures and a mass of ornament, which made them far
richer than any such work of an earlier date, and none that have since
been made have equalled them. It is almost incredible that they were
completed in four years, and yet there are no marks of haste upon the
work. The figures are dignified and graceful, the faces delicate and
expressive, the hands well formed, and a beauty of design and execution
marks the whole. The lower figures, which come nearest the eye, are
finer than those which are higher up, so that a unity of effect is
preserved throughout the whole. He sometimes took occasion to give
touches of humor in his works, and in these stalls he introduced his own
portrait and that of his wife.
The "Fischkasten" is sculptured in stone, and has three knights upon it
which appear to be boldly advancing, as if about to step off and walk
away. Other works by this master are less important, and it is doubtful
if all that are called by his name are really his own. Joerg Syrlin, the
younger, trained by his father, adopted his style, and became an
excellent artist.
We have not space to speak of the Swabian sculptures in detail. Fine
works exist in Tiefenbronn, Rothenburg, Blaubeuren, Herrenberg, Gmuend,
Ravensburg, and many other places.
The influence of the Swabian school was very wide; it can be traced in
many parts of Germany, in Hungary and Transylvania, and even in
Switzerland, Austria, and Bavaria. Swabian artists were often summoned
to adjacent provinces, and thus did much work away from their homes. The
reliefs upon the door of the Cathedral of Constance were executed by
Simon Hayder, a Swabian, in 1470. The altar of the cathedral at Chur
was the work of Jacob Roesch, another Swabian master, who thus labored on
the very boundary of Italy. The school at Augsburg was the second
Swabian school in importance, and much influence went out from that
centre, though its sculptures were not as fine as those of Ulm.
In some cases fine old sculptures still exist in the churches and other
places for which they were intended. Again we find them either whole, or
in parts, in museums to which they have been removed when they were no
longer required for the uses for which they were made, or when they were
replaced by more modern works. So few facts are known concerning them
that it is almost impossible to do more than repeat descriptions of the
subjects they represent; and this is neither profitable nor entertaining
in a book of this kind; therefore I shall now speak only of such artists
as have left some record behind them, and of works whose authorship can
be given.
VEIT STOSS, who flourished about the middle of the fifteenth century,
was an eminent wood-carver. Very little is known about him. His name is
sometimes said to be Wit Stwosz, and Cracow and Nuremberg both claim to
have been his birthplace. But it is now believed that he was born in
Nuremberg, as it is known that in 1477 he gave up his citizenship there
and went to Cracow, and in 1496 he paid a small sum to be again made a
citizen of Nuremberg.
We also know that his reputation as a man was not good. In a Nuremberg
decree he is called a "reckless and graceless citizen, who has caused
much uneasiness to the honorable council and the whole town." He was
convicted of crimes for which he should have suffered death, but the
sentence was changed, and he was branded: both cheeks were pierced with
a hot iron. After this he broke the oath he had taken to the city, and
joined her enemies in plotting against her; he was subsequently
imprisoned, and at his death, in 1533, he was very old and perfectly
blind.
It seems almost like a contradiction to say that this master was one of
the most tender in feeling of all the wood-carvers of his time. He was
especially successful in representing the purity of the Madonna and of
youthful saints. His principal works are in the churches of Cracow and
Nuremberg. In the Frauenkirche at Cracow the high-altar, a part of the
stalls in the choir, and some other sculptures are his. In Nuremberg his
best works are a bas-relief of the Crowning of the Virgin, which is
preserved in the Burgkapelle; the great Madonna statue, which was placed
in the Frauenkirche in 1504; and the colossal Angel's Salutation, which
is suspended in the choir of the Church of St. Laurence. This last is an
unusual and important work. The angel appears as if flying, and the
drapery is much inflated; the Virgin is queenly and majestic, yet
graceful; all around are medallions in which are represented the Seven
Sorrows of the Virgin. The style of these reliefs is charming if we
except the drapery; that has the faults of the time, and is bad in
style; but the female heads are all that we could ask; the whole design
is distinct, and few reliefs could surpass these in simple beauty and
genuine artistic feeling.
Another remarkable work of his is a panel of roses, now in the
Burgkapelle. The panel is seven feet high by five wide; more than half
of this is covered by a wreath of roses; there are besides four rows of
small half-length figures arranged round a cross of St. Anthony, a
representation of the Last Judgment, scenes in the history of man from
the creation to the death of the Virgin, and many other saints and like
subjects in bits of reliefs, which fill up all spare spaces. The style
is very distinct, and the draperies better in this work than in others
from his hand.
There are other works in Nuremberg and elsewhere which are attributed
to Veit Stoss, but these that are known to be his are quite enough to
establish his fame as a gifted artist and a remarkable sculptor for his
time.
Though Stoss is among the early masters of Nuremberg, it is yet true
that others had been at work while he was in Cracow, and the way had
been prepared for him and his work when he returned to his native city
in 1496. Among the most active artists in Nuremberg was MICHAEL
WOHLGEMUTH (1434-1519), who is generally considered as a painter only;
but we know that he made contracts for entire works in which sculpture
and painting are combined, and must have had the oversight of the whole;
and in this view it is proper to mention this master's name. The altars
at Haller Cross Chapel, Nuremberg, one at Zwickau, another at Schwabach,
and that of the Heilsbronn Monastery, near Nuremberg, are all ascribed
to Wohlgemuth.
ALBRECHT DUeRER (1471-1528), who was one of the great masters of the
world, was an architect, painter, and sculptor. He was a pupil of
Michael Wohlgemuth, and sculpture was less practised by him than other
arts; yet the few works of his which remain are much valued.
Duerer probably executed his carvings about 1510-1520. In the British
Museum there is a relief of the Birth of St. John the Baptist, which was
purchased in the Netherlands more than eighty years since for $2500. It
is cut in a block of cream-colored stone, seven and one half by five and
one half inches in size, and is a wonderful work. The companion piece,
which represents the same saint Preaching in the Wilderness, is in the
Brunswick Museum, where there is also an "Ecce Homo" carved in wood.
Duerer executed many little carvings in stone, ivory, and boxwood, and
the existing ones are seen in various collections in Germany. It is
quite probable that others are in private hands.
There are in Nuremberg many most excellent wood-carvings by unknown
masters; one who cares for this art is well repaid for a visit to this
old city, and, indeed, this is true of other old German towns. Bamberg,
Marburg, Frankfort-on-the-Main, Dortmund, Halle, and many other towns
have riches in this kind of art.
The stone sculpture of Germany in the fifteenth century was of less
importance than the wood-carving until toward the close of the period.
The exteriors of the churches and other edifices erected at this time
had but little sculptural ornament, and that consisted principally of
traceries and figures in geometric designs. Some small detached works,
such as fonts, pulpits, or fountains, were made in stone, but the chief
use of stone sculpture was for monuments to the dead.
ADAM KRAFFT (about 1430-1507), of whose early history almost nothing is
known, is a very important master of this time, and his principal works
add another charm to the city of Nuremberg. A remarkable series of works
by Krafft are the Seven Stages, or seven bas-reliefs placed on the way
to the Johannis Cemetery, the designs representing the seven falls of
Christ on his way to Golgotha.
These reliefs are much crowded, and the only part that is at all
idealized is the figure of Christ; that is noble and calm in effect, and
the drapery is simple and dignified. The other figures are coarse and
dressed like the Nurembergers of the time in which Krafft lived.
In the churches of St. Sebald and St. Laurence and in the Frauenkirche
there are other splendid works of Krafft, and in some dwelling-houses of
Nuremberg there are sculptures of his. A Madonna on the houses, 1306, in
the Hirschelgasse, is one of the finest, perhaps the very best in all
Germany. We do not know whether this was by Krafft or not, but it has a
purity and nobleness that scarcely any other German sculptor attained.
That Krafft had a sense of humor is shown by a bas-relief above the
entrance to the Public Scales. The weigher stands observing the beam,
and beneath it is written, "To thyself as to others." Another man adds a
weight to one scale, and the man who is to be taxed puts his hand into
his money-bag very reluctantly.
Perhaps his most artistic work was the tabernacle in the Church of St.
Laurence. It is sixty-four feet high; the lower part is supported by the
kneeling figures of Krafft and two of his associates. Above this rises a
slender Gothic pyramid ornamented with bas-reliefs and statuettes. He
was employed upon this tabernacle from 1496 to 1500. It is believed that
a "Burial of Christ," in the chapel of the Johannis Cemetery, was his
latest work, and executed in 1507, the year in which he died, in the
hospital of Schwabach. Krafft led a most industrious life, and was so
skilful a workman that he could work with his left hand as readily as
with his right.
TILMAN RIEMENSCHNEIDER was an important sculptor, born at Osterode, in
the Hartz Mountains, probably about 1460. In 1483 he went to Wuerzburg,
and was elected to one honorable office after another, until, in 1520,
he was head burgomaster. After the Peasants' War, in 1525, he was
deprived of his office; he lived but six years after this, and kept
himself in close retirement, not even practising his art.
His sculptures are mostly in stone, and are quite numerous in Wuerzburg
and its vicinity. His monument to the Knight Eberhard von Grumbach, in
the church at Rimpar, was probably his earliest important work. In it he
has contrived to express strength and bravery of character in spite of
the stiff costume, every detail of which is worked out (Fig. 91).
[Illustration: FIG. 91.--COUNT EBERHARD VON GRUMBACH. _Rimpar._]
In 1495 Riemenschneider received the important commission to erect in
Bamberg Cathedral a splendid monument to the Emperor Heinrich II. and
his wife Kunigunde. This occupied him until 1513, and is a splendid
example of his skill. The figures of the two royal personages lie upon a
large sarcophagus; the statues are more than life-size, and are dressed
in the fantastic costume of the fifteenth century. Upon the sides of the
sarcophagus are five reliefs, representing as many scenes from the lives
of the emperor and empress. The monuments and religious subjects
executed by this sculptor are very numerous. In the church at Maidbrunn
there is a relief representing the "Lamentation over the Dead Body of
Christ," which is probably his latest work. It is cut from sandstone,
and the figure of Nicodemus is believed to be the sculptor's own
portrait.
We give here four figures from the portal of the cathedral at Berne, in
Switzerland. The really splendid sculptures were the work of Nicolaus
Kuenz, and from their style seem to belong to about 1520. They show the
influence of such artists as the painters Nicolaus Manuel (1484-1531)
and Hans Holbein (about 1459-1524). The statues of the Wise and Foolish
Virgins are fine, and that of Justice, whose pose is full of grace, and
whose almost transparent garment is an exquisite work, affords an
excellent illustration of the most pleasing sculpture of this period
(Figs. 92, 93).
[Illustration: FIG. 92.--JUSTICE.]
[Illustration: FIG. 93.--THE THREE WISE VIRGINS.]
Another art, which had its headquarters at Nuremberg in the fifteenth
century, is bronze-casting, and its chief master was the famous PETER
VISCHER, who was the son of another brasier, HERMANN VISCHER. The date
of Peter Vischer's birth is given as 1460, and he was admitted to be a
master in his art in 1489. Five years later than this he was summoned to
Heidelberg together with a sculptor, Simon Lamberger, to aid the Elector
Philip with advice and skill. Nothing is known of any work which Vischer
did there.
Vischer's foundry at Nuremberg enjoyed a great fame, and orders were
sent to it from far and near. No doubt a great many monuments were cast
here which were not designed by Vischer at all. His works were numerous,
but I shall only describe his masterpiece, which was the shrine or tomb
of St. Sebald, and occupied Peter Vischer from 1508 to 1519, he being
assisted by his five sons. The son Peter was admitted as a master in the
thimble trade in 1527. Hans was called "the caster," and seems to have
superintended the carving of models; Hermann went to Italy and brought
home designs and models; and Jacob and Paul seem to have had no special
departments. Between 1495 and 1508 so little was recorded of Peter
Vischer that it leads to the belief that these years must have been
given to study and to the improvement which the tomb of St. Sebald shows
over the work of the monument to Archbishop Ernst, in the Magdeburg
Cathedral, which was done in 1495.
The bones of St. Sebald had been inclosed in a sarcophagus of the Middle
Ages, and the work required of Vischer was a fitting tomb for such
precious and honored relics, for St. Sebald is the special patron saint
of Nuremberg, and dwelt in a cell near that city. His legend relates
that he was the son of a Danish king, who came to Germany as a
missionary and settled at Nuremberg, where he did many miraculous works
of charity. On one occasion, during very cold weather, he is said to
have found a family nearly frozen and without fuel; he commanded them to
bring the icicles hanging from the roof and make a fire of them. They
obeyed, and were thus warmed. Many such wonders are told of him, and
Vischer in his statue makes him to appear as a pilgrim, with shell in
hat, staff, rosary and wallet, while in his hand he holds a model of a
church intended to represent that in which the tomb is erected. This
Church of St. Sebald is now used for the Lutheran service, and the
shrine still stands in the centre of the choir. (Fig. 94.)
[Illustration: FIG. 94.--TOMB OF ST. SEBALD. _By Peter Vischer._
_Nuremberg._]
The architecture of this remarkable work is of the richest style of
Gothic, and the whole of it is in bronze, except that the oaken
sarcophagus is encased in silver plates. This rests beneath a fret-work
canopy supported on slender pillars. There is an abundance of ornament
everywhere, but the close examination of its detail shows beauty and
fitness in every part. For example, if we compare the statue of the
saint, of which we have spoken, which stands at the end of the shrine
most exposed, with the statue of Vischer himself, which is at the
opposite end, we shall see how the saint, with his symbols and his
flowing drapery, is an ideal work, and seems to be advancing with
authority and the air which befits the son of a king, while Vischer,
with his round cap, leather apron, and German face, is simply the
representation of a worker bent upon doing his best (Fig. 95).
[Illustration: FIG. 95.--PETER VISCHER'S STATUE.]
The sarcophagus rests upon a base on which are four reliefs of scenes
from the life of the saint, all in the purest manner of the time. One of
these represents the burning of the icicles recounted above (Fig. 96).
This base and sarcophagus and the fret-work above it form the centre of
the tomb. Then outside of this are eight pillars supporting a
baldachin, or canopy, in the richly ornamented Romanesque style, and the
combinations of the Gothic and the decorative architecture are so
skilfully made as not to offend our taste. But it is generally
acknowledged that the chief beauty of this work is the series of the
figures of the apostles, which are upon the pillars. They are slender in
proportion, gracefully draped, and bear their distinctive symbols. They
are perfectly free from the realism of the earlier works of Vischer, and
have more of the purity and nobleness of the works of Ghiberti than are
seen in the statues of any other German artist of this age (Figs. 97,
98).
[Illustration: FIG. 96.--ST. SEBALD AND THE BURNING ICICLES. _Vischer._]
Above the apostles are figures of prophets and other Biblical
personages; Perseus and Hercules are also represented, and other statues
typify Strength, Justice, Prudence, and Moderation. The figure of the
Infant Christ is upon the centre of the highest, or middle dome. Between
the pillars at their bases stand graceful candelabra, and the base
itself rests upon snails. Besides all these principal figures there are
almost numberless others and many ornamental designs. There are
harpies, sirens, satyrs, fawns, and all sorts of fantastic creatures.
The whole work is full of the deep feeling of the north and the beauty
and richness of the south, and is a most remarkable production.
We are told that Vischer was but poorly paid for this labor, with all
its thought and skill. He inscribed upon it these words: "... He
completed it for the praise of God Almighty alone, and for the honor of
St. Sebald, Prince of Heaven, by the aid of pious persons, paid by their
voluntary contributions." There is a satisfaction in remembering that
Vischer lived ten years after this tomb was completed, and must have
heard many praises of his work.
The later works of Vischer were a few reliefs and two important
monuments at Aschaffenburg and Wittenberg. His sons Hans and Hermann
executed a few monuments, which are done in the manner of their father,
but do not equal him in design or finish. There are numerous works which
must be regarded as productions of Vischer's studio and foundry of which
we cannot give clear accounts, not knowing whether they were the earlier
works of the father, or were executed by the sons or other pupils, of
which he had many.
[Illustration: FIG. 97.--PETER. _By Peter Vischer._]
[Illustration: FIG. 98.--JOHN. _By Peter Vischer._]
PANKRAZ LABENWOLF was one of Vischer's pupils, and completed the
splendid lattice-work over the Town-hall which the master left
unfinished; Labenwolf added some ornaments and coats-of-arms to it. In
1550 he cast the fountain in the court-yard of the same building, which
is a graceful and creditable work; but another fountain in the vegetable
market, behind the Frauenkirche, is truly original; the water flows from
the mouths of two geese held under the arms of a peasant; the whole
effect is droll and unique (Fig. 99).
[Illustration: FIG. 99.--MAN AND GEESE. _By Labenwolf._]
You will remember how, about 1390, Claux Sluter, by his works in Dijon,
had a great influence upon French sculpture. A century and more later
this art in France was largely under the influence of Italian masters,
who had been called into France by Francis I. and other patrons of art.
Splendid works of sculpture were also imported from Italy, and the
effect of the Italian Renaissance, which was so plainly seen upon the
painting of France, was also at work upon its sculpture.
Where the sculptures were a part of an architectural decoration, as in
the case of the choir screen in the cathedral at Amiens, and other like
works, the change was not as complete as in cases where the work was one
of independent sculpture, as in monuments and statues to commemorate the
dead, or in portrait sculpture.
The wealth and power of the nobility of France at this period enabled
them to gratify their desire to leave fine monuments of themselves, in
order to keep their names in memory in future centuries. In these the
Italian manner was adopted, and the works when completed were far more
splendid and elegant than were the corresponding works in Germany. But
they have a grave fault, which makes them much less interesting than are
the German sculptures: they are more conventional, less expressive, and
far less artistic in spirit. They impress one as if the soft, luxurious
court atmosphere had passed over them, and taking away their strong
points, had left them only a general air of being well-bred and
well-kept persons, of little importance to the real life of the world.
In the Louvre, in the Museum of Modern Sculpture, all this change can be
traced, and the traveller in France may see such monuments as we refer
to in all the cathedrals and most of the churches all over the country.
Many of them cannot be traced to any one master. A fine specimen is the
Amboise Monument in Rouen Cathedral, which is said to have been the work
of one Roulland de Roux and his assistants.
JEAN JUSTE of Tours was one of the best French artists of his day. In
the Cathedral of Tours is a monument to two young children of Charles
VIII., which proves him to have had much delicacy and tenderness of
execution. The sarcophagus is covered with graceful designs, and on the
lid lie the two babies, for the eldest was but three years old. The
whole work is exquisite, and gives one a feeling of satisfaction.
About 1530 Juste erected the splendid monument to Louis XII. and Anne of
Brittany in the Church of St. Denis. While the general form of the
monument is much like that of the Visconti in the Certosa at Pavia, the
figures of the dead couple are quite different from the Italian manner.
Below on a bier the two nude bodies are stretched in all the realism
possible, and the heads are noble and touching in expression. Above, on
the upper part of the monument, where in Italy the patron saint or some
other figure usually is placed, the king and queen again appear; they
are kneeling, with full drapery about them, while the faces are
characteristic and very expressive. This monument, taken all in all, is
in the perfection of the French art of the time. Another work by Juste
now in the Louvre is the monument to Louis de Poncher, one of the
ministers of Francis I., and his wife, Roberta. These statues are in
alabaster, and were formerly in the Church of St. Germain l'Auxerrois,
which was built by Poncher.
PIERRE BONTEMPS must have been a famous sculptor, as he was chosen to
erect the monument to Francis I., his wife Claude and their three
children. This is also at St. Denis, and is even more grand than that to
Louis XII. On the upper platform the five figures are kneeling; they are
noble and simple, with an air of great repose. These examples serve to
give an idea of the religious sculpture of the time.
Secular subjects were unusual. A house in Bourges is decorated with the
figures of the master and mistress above the entrance, as if they would
speak a welcome, while reliefs of industrial scenes, such as might be
seen outside and inside of the house, are placed in various positions
over the building and in the court-yard. Something of a like sort is
upon the Hotel Bourgtheroulde at Rouen, where the friezes show scenes
between Francis I. and Henry VIII. Biblical scenes are also distributed
over the building.
Bruges is almost the only city of the Netherlands that has any
sculptures of this period of which one would speak. Just at this time
the art of that country was painting preeminently, and the Van Eycks and
their followers had done such things as held the attention of all to the
neglect of other arts. At Bruges in the cathedral, the Church of St.
Jacques, and the Liebfrauenkirche there are some fine monuments, and the
Palais de Justice has a carved chimney-piece which is magnificent, and
a work of the highest rank.
In England sculpture was of less account even than in the Netherlands.
One circumstance is worthy of notice. Pietro Torrigiano, after
quarrelling with Michael Angelo and breaking his nose, fled to England,
and his monument of Henry VII. and his queen in Westminster Abbey,
erected in 1519, marks the introduction of the style of the Italian
Renaissance into England. The structure is of black marble; the statues
of the king and queen are in gilt bronze, and are grandly noble in
design and finished in execution. The smaller figures and all the
details of the monument are fine. The master received L1000 for this
work. Torrigiano executed other works, and entered into an agreement to
make a monument to Henry VIII. and Catherine of Aragon, but for some
reason he went to Spain in 1519 and never returned, as he was destroyed
by the Inquisition three years later.
It is probable that Torrigiano may have been led to Spain by hearing of
the revival of art which was taking place there. Flemish and Italian
artists went there, and the influence of their styles was felt by the
native masters. The result was that they brought forth a manner of their
own, combining certain features of northern and of southern art, and
used to express the thoughts of the Spaniards themselves. The carved
altars of Seville, Toledo, and Burgos show how splendid this art was;
and though we cannot trace the lives and works of Spanish sculptors as
we should like to do, we can be sure that there were men among them
equal to any demand that could be made upon decorative sculptors.
This is proved by the portals and fronts of the churches, by the highly
ornamented chapels, the wall niches and choir screens of the interiors,
while the monuments are also equal to those of other nations. That of
Ferdinand and Isabella in the Church of the Guardian Angel, at Granada,
is noble and magnificent. It is believed to have been erected before the
death of Ferdinand in 1516, and was probably the work of an Italian
sculptor. This monument has a large marble sarcophagus, with a structure
above it in the Renaissance style. At the corners of the sarcophagus
there are griffins of excellent workmanship, and on the sides reliefs
and statuettes of the Four Fathers of the Church; on the lid repose the
figures of the royal pair, executed in a grand and dignified
simplicity.