The Making of a Renaissance Master: Alonso Berruguete’s Rise to Prominence

Detail of "The Transfiguration of Christ," from the main altarpiece, circa 1560, by Alonso Berruguete. The Sacra Capilla del Salvador (Holy Chapel of El Salvador), Úbeda, Spain. Peter Heidelberg/Shutterstock

In 1504, the young and ambitious Spanish artist Alonso Berruguete arrived in Italy with an aspiration to become part of the elite artistic world of the High Renaissance. Undertrained in comparison, he made the risky move not knowing if, or when, he would succeed.

But Berruguete proved himself in short order. In 1508, Michelangelo allowed him to study the preparatory drawings for his never completed “Battle of Cascina.” It was a privilege granted to few, a sure sign that Michelangelo respected Berruguete as an artist and trusted him as a friend. For any new, still obscure artist to be taken under Michelangelo’s wing so soon after arriving in Italy would have indicated rare talent. Berruguete did not even have the credentials that could have been provided by training in the Northern European centers of Renaissance art: the Burgundian Netherlands. His only previous artistic foundation had taken place in his native country, at a time when Spain was making its first belated and faltering steps into Renaissance culture.

Spanish Changing of Hands

"The Capitulation of Granada," 1882, by Francisco Pradilla y Ortiz. Oil on canvas. Palace of the Senate, Madrid. Public Domain

In 1468, the Iberian Peninsula (between Spain and Portugal) had been divided into a handful of small kingdoms and lacked the peace and stability needed for art to flourish. The 1469 marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella changed everything by uniting their kingdoms of Aragon and Castile. Rivalry was eliminated, and their government was strong enough to subdue tumultuous nobles and unify most of modern Spain by completing the Reconquista in 1492.

Under the new conditions, interest in cultural pursuits increased rapidly and dramatically in the country. At first, Spaniards embraced Flemish models, influenced by the dynastic connections between their own monarchs and the Duke of Burgundy. Soon enough, they were turning to the Italian Renaissance just as it was on the verge of its greatest achievements.

Berruguete was among the first Spanish artists formed in this atmosphere. His father, Pedro, was a prominent painter in Spain’s artistic transition from Gothic to Renaissance and became Alonso’s first teacher. The elder Berruguete’s interest in Italy’s artistic developments inspired Alonso’s desire to study at the epicenter of the Renaissance. Once there, his deep understanding and masterful skill enabled young Berruguete to quickly excel.

Sculpting the Artist

“Salome,” circa 1512–1517, by Alonso Berruguete. Oil on panel; 34.6 inches by 27.9 inches. Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy. Public Domain

When Berruguete first began studying in Italy, he focused on oil painting techniques. His early artistic brilliance evidenced in “Salome” and “Madonna and Child” are comparable to early works of Raphael and Titian. However, he chose not to build extensively on that foundation but to shift to sculpture instead—the medium in which he would develop one of the most unique individual styles of the entire Renaissance.

While the details of his transition from oil paint to sculpture are lacking, he must have begun to dabble in the new medium shortly after his arrival in Italy. In 1510, one of the most famous sculptures of the ancient world, “Laocoön and His Sons,” was found buried in the field of a Roman vineyard. Berruguete was one of four artists who entered a competition to sculpt the best wax arm for the the missing limb of the ancient Roman marble sculpture. He lost to Jacopo Sansovino, the 16th-century Italian sculptor and architect whose skill ranked him second to Michelangelo. For Berruguete to compete seriously at that level, however, was an indication of greater things to come.

Under Michelangelo’s Wing

"The Age of Iron," 1520s–1530, attributed to Alonso Berruguete. Pen and brown ink; 8 inches by 12 3/8 inches. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Public Domain

For the next decade, Berruguete slowly progressed toward his later achievements, earning his living as a painter while studying sculpture on the side. Several years in Florence facilitated that effort. Both Michelangelo and Donatello were Florentines, and many of Donatello’s sculptures were located there. Michelangelo, who was on friendly terms with Berruguete, helped to facilitate his relationships with local artists.

Despite such advantages, Berruguete completed only the first part of a sculptor’s education while in Italy—designing sculptures through drawings and wax models. But the standing he gained through his painting ultimately facilitated his transition. By 1518, his reputation was high enough for him to be appointed as a painter to Spain’s royal court.

Alonso Berruguete’s altarpiece “The Transfiguration of Christ,” circa 1560, inside the Sacra Capilla del Salvador (Holy Chapel of El Salvador) in Úbeda, Spain. José Luis Filpo Cabana /CC BY 3.0

Before Berruguete’s influence on Spanish fine art, sculptures ranged from underdeveloped to crude in terms of design, shape, and anatomy. Wood had been a popular sculptural medium in the county and figures were often painted in bright, unrealistic colors. The contrast to the anatomically correct and refined marble and bronze sculptures of Italy could hardly have been starker.

Combining elements of Spanish tradition and Renaissance classicism into a unique personal style would become Berruguete’s most famous contribution to the development of his country’s art. His use of shape and design was reminiscent of Donatello’s with intricately detailed and realistic, though somewhat elongated, forms. The medium was wood: Painting in deep, realistic shades would be Berruguete’s finishing touch.

"Apostle or Saint," circa 1520s, by Alonso Berruguete. Polychrome and gilt walnut; 40 9/16 inches by 14 9/16 inches. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Public Domain

Although his wood sculptures take the limelight, Berruguete also introduced pure Italian Renaissance classicism into Spain through the sculpting of marble and alabaster works. In some of these sculptures, the classicism is immediately apparent, as in “The Transfiguration of Christ.” In others, it is slightly obscured by the main figures’ late medieval clothing, as in the “Tomb of Ferdinand and Isabella.”

Berruguete lived until 1561, having transformed Spanish sculpture and artistic culture. Famous throughout Spain, his work would be found in many of its important cities, including Salamanca, Toledo, Valladolid, Burgos, Granada, Palencia, and Cáceres. Artists such as Juan de Juni, Gaspar Becerra, and Juan Bautista Vázquez built on the foundation that Berruguete laid, which survived well into the next century. Very few other artists can be likewise credited for having influenced an entire country’s art single-handedly.

Detail of "The Transfiguration of Christ," from the main altarpiece, circa 1560, by Alonso Berruguete. The Sacra Capilla del Salvador (Holy Chapel of El Salvador), Úbeda, Spain. Peter Heidelberg/Shutterstock