Antonio de Paz facts for kids
Antonio de Paz was a talented sculptor from Salamanca, a city in Spain. He was born in the late 1500s and passed away in 1647. Many of his beautiful sculptures can still be seen in the churches and the main cathedral of Salamanca today.
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Antonio de Paz's Art Journey
We don't know exactly where Antonio de Paz learned his skills. But during his time, sculptors in Salamanca were inspired by different art styles. These included the detailed Plateresque style and the more dramatic Mannerism style, seen in the work of Juan de Juni. He was also influenced by the grand Renaissance art from Italy.
Antonio de Paz also learned from sculptors like Esteban de Rueda and Sebastián Ducete. You can see these different influences in his unique artistic style.
Early Works
Antonio de Paz's earliest known works are two painted panels. They are located in the sacristy of the New Cathedral. These panels were made in 1615.
In the same year, he created figures for a sculpture called the Deposition. This artwork shows Jesus being taken down from the cross. He made the figures of two thieves and six angels for the Brotherhood of the True Cross.
In 1617, Antonio de Paz worked with Pedro Hernandez. They created a special Holy Sepulchre for the Easter Sunday procession. This piece included an angel and three figures of Mary.
Works for Churches and Cathedrals
In 1621, Antonio de Paz was hired to create carvings for the altarpiece of the parish church of St. Martin of Tours. An altarpiece is a large artwork behind the altar in a church. Another artist, Esteban de Rueda, made the main part of this altarpiece. This altarpiece was finished in 1635, but sadly, it was destroyed by fire in 1854.
Starting in 1627, Antonio de Paz received many important jobs for the New Cathedral. He made statues of St. Gregory of Ostia and St. Augustine for the Chapel of Our Lady of Morales.
In 1628, he created figures of St. James and St. Teresa for another chapel. He also made the main scene showing the martyrdom of St. Lawrence in the Chapel of St. Lawrence.
The next year, he worked with Francisco Sanchez. They carved the tombs of Antonio Corrionero, who was a bishop, and his brother Alonso Ruano Corrionero. These tombs are in the Chapel of Our Lady of Truth. Antonio de Paz also created the statue of the Virgin of Carmen for the Chapel of Christ of the Battles.
In 1639, he made a statue of Saint Teresa for León Cathedral.
For the Convento de San Esteban, he carved all the sculptures in the sacristy. He also made a statue of St. Joseph for the entrance and a statue of St. Peter Martyr.
His Greatest Work
Antonio de Paz's most important work that we can still see today is the altarpiece of the Church of the Holy Spirit (Iglesia de Sancti Spiritus) in Salamanca. He was asked to create this in 1644. After he passed away, other sculptors, Andres de Paz and Juan de Rojas, put it together.
See also
In Spanish: Antonio de Paz para niños
