St John the Baptist
by ORDÓÑEZ, Bartolomé, Marble
The picture shows one of the corner statues of the tomb of Joanna the Mad and Philip the Handsome.
Bartolom� Ord�ñez was born in Burgos and is identified with the school of that city. However, his career took him to all parts of Europe: in 1515 he was in Barcelona; in 1517 in Italy, where he visited Florence, Genoa, and Naples. He may have met Michelangelo at Carrara. Various influences can be distinguished in his work, but especially the Italian. In 1519, Charles V ordered him to execute the tomb of Joanna the Mad and Philip the Handsome (d. 1506). To this end Ord�ñez opened a workshop in Carrara and completed the tomb in one year, just before his sudden death in 1520. The saints at each corner show the restraint with which Ord�ñez translated the lessons of Michelangelo.