BORGOÑA, Juan de

(b. 0 ?, d. ~1554 Toledo)

Spanish painter. His name indicates that he came from northern France, and he is first documented as working in the cloister of Toledo Cathedral in 1495. His arrival in Spain coincided with that of Juan de Flandes. Both painters were connected with Pedro Berruguete, which suggests that the three had met previously, in either Flanders or Italy. Borgoña’s style indicates that he had studied painting in Italy, but it also contains traces of Flemish sensibility. The influence of Domenico Ghirlandaio and Gerard David is discernible, and the influence of Piero della Francesca and Melozzo da Forli in Borgoña’s treatment of light can be observed. Castilian elements feature in his work, notably the use of gold backgrounds and a wealth of decoration. Borgoña’s compositions are finely balanced, like those of the Italian High Renaissance, with skilfully drawn figures portrayed in elegant, tranquil poses. They are set against open spaces leading on to craggy landscapes reminiscent of Umbria or against gold embroidered drapery.

Lady with a Hare

Borgoña was a Spanish-naturalized Frenchman (from Burgundy). He continued the style of Pedro Berruguete and was a follower of Domenico Ghirlandaio in the frescoes painted for cardinal Ximenez in the Toledo Cathedral.

In this portrait Borgoña follows the example set by Leonardo in his Lady with an Ermine.

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The Birth of the Virgin

After the death of Pedro Berruguete, the painter of the Toledo Cathedral, Borgoña received an important commission: the fresco decoration of the chapter room and its small antechamber in the Toledo Cathedral. Borgoña frescoed the chapter room between 1509 and 1511 with eight scenes from the life of the Virgin on the lateral walls and three scenes of the Passion and a large Last Judgment on the end walls. Many of the scenes of the Virgin’s life take place within complicated architectural settings, and the masterful use of perspective provides a spacious setting for the calm, controlled narration of episodes from literary sources.

The Birth of the Virgin is one of the scenes in the chapter room, the influence of Domenico Ghirlandaio’s frescoes in the Santa Maria Novella in Florence is evident.

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