The Museo Nacional de Escultura

A few steps from the Church of San Pablo is the Museo Nacional de Escultura (National Sculpture Museum) which retains wonderful examples of sculptures ranging from the Middle Ages until the nineteenth century. Founded in 1842 as the Museo Provincial de Bellas Artes (Provincial Fine Arts Museum), it has gradually increased its collection, considered today to be one of the leading museums of its kind in Europe. The main part is located at the Colegio de San Gregorio (College of Saint Gregory), a masterpiece of architecture of the fifteenth century, built on the initiative of Alonso de Burgos, bishop of PalenciaNow belonging to the current Comunidad Autónoma de Castilla y León, Palencia had its heyday in the Middle Ages. Already a bishopric under the Visigoths, the city was home to the oldest Spanish university, approved by Pope Honorius III in 1221 but disappeared after a few decades. In the Early modern Age it shared the fate of Castile: as the centre of the empire of Charles V and the monarchy of Philip II, it also underwent a severe crisis during the seventeenth century. and confessor of the Catholic Monarchs. In recent years, the museum has expanded to other buildings such as the Villena Palace, the Casa del Sol, the Conde de Gondomar Palace and the Church of San Benito el Viejo (Saint Benedict).

Among the works preserved, a good number dates back to the Baroque and are attributable to the production of the great masters of sculpture of the period. Gregorio Fernández, for example, was responsible for authentic masterpieces such as the Saint Teresa, The Baptism of Christ, Saint Thomas of Aquinas and one of the versions, perhaps the best, of the Dead Christ made by the Galician artist. The Mary Magdalene penitent, by Pedro de MenaPedro de Mena y Medrano (1628-1668) was one of the leading exponents of Spanish Baroque sculpture. Born in Granada, he devoted himself primarily to religious works, working mainly in the city of Málaga, where he died. In the Museo Nacional de Escultura of Valladolid his famous Mary Magdalene Penitent is preserved. Noteworthy are also his Ecce homo, Dolorosas and the image of Saint Francis of Assisi preserved in the Cathedral of Toledo., is also well known as is the excellent Ecce homo by the same artist, the Saint Jerome penitent and the Saint John the Baptist by Alonso CanoAlonso Cano (1601-1667), among the greatest Spanish artists of the seventeenth century, was born and died in Granada. He was also active at court, where he was singled out by his friend Velázquez. Accused of murdering his wife in 1644, he became a monk, taking refuge in Valencia. Thanks to the protection of Philip IV, he returned to Madrid and assumed the post of superintendent of the Cathedral of Granada. He worked at the cathedral of his native city until the last days of his life, and was buried in it. and the Saint John the Evangelist by Juan Martínez MontañésJuan Martínez Montañés (1568-1649) was a sculptor, born in Alcalá la Real (Jaén). He trained in Granada with Pablo de Rojas and completed his education in Seville, where he would remain for the rest of his life, becoming the highest representative of the Sevillian school of sculpture of his generation. Particularly skilled in woodworking, the works of Martínez Montañés are almost exclusively of a religious nature. There is a portrait of him painted by Velázquez and now preserved in the Museo del Prado.. There are some eighteenth-century works, among others, by Juan Alonso de Villabrille y RonLittle is known about the life of Juan Alonso de Villabrille y Ron, who was born in 1663 in a town of Asturias and died after 1732. His most famous work and the only one to be signed with his name is the Head of Saint Paul, built in 1707 and housed in the Museo Nacional de Escultura of Valladolid. (the Head of Saint Paul), by Pedro de SierraPedro de Sierra (1702-1760) was a sculptor and architect, a major figure of the late Baroque period of Spanish art. Born in Medina de Rioseco, he was the son of the sculptor Tomás de Sierra. He worked all his life in Valladolid, where most of his works are now preserved. (the Immaculate Conception), Francisco SalzilloFrancisco Salzillo y Alcaraz (1707-1783) was one of the main Spanish sculptors of the eighteenth century. His production, all on religious subjects, connects him to Baroque art but already has elements that anticipate Rococo and Neo-classicism. He was born, lived and died in the city of Murcia, where now one can visit the museum dedicated to his work and that is named the Museo Salzillo. (Saint Francis) and Luis Salvador CarmonaLuis Salvador Carmona (1708-1767) belonged to a large family of Spanish artists, and was also an important sculptor in Spain in the eighteenth century. Heir to the school of architecture in Valladolid, he devoted himself mainly to religious works, but was also very active in the court of Madrid. An exponent of Baroque art, his work displays Neoclassical influences. (Christ crucified, Saint Mary of Egypt). They date back to the Baroque period as some of the pageants (pasos) which parade in the procession of Holy Week in Valladolid which, during the year, are kept in the museum: among them, the Camino del Calvario (Way of Calvary) by Gregorio Fernández and La Elevación de la Cruz (Elevation of the Cross) by Francisco del RincónFrancisco del Rincón (1567-1608) was one of the first great masters of Spanish Baroque and the Castilian school of sculpture. A master or perhaps just a friend of Gregorio Fernández’s, who introduced to the court of Philip III, he was also one of the first creators of processional pageants (pasos) used in the celebrations of Holy Week in the baroque period. Some of his major works are preserved in the Museo Nacional de Escultura of Valladolid.. In the Villena Palace there is also a splendid specimen of a Neapolitan nativity scene, also dating from the Baroque age.

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