Gil de Siloé (Antwerp, Belgium or Urliones, France?, circa 1467 - Burgos, 1505)

Gil de Siloé (Antwerp, Belgium or Urliones, France?, circa 1467 - Burgos, 1505) "Saint Barbara" Carved, gilded and polychromed wooden sculpture. 110 x 28 x 30 cm. This image bears a great resemblance to the polychromed limestone sculpture of the Virgin and Child, from the facade of the arch of Santa María la Mayor, in Burgos, and which is currently on display at the Burgos Museum. The similarity to the face is remarkable, being an almond-shaped oval, with a long, thin nose and a small mouth with an expression so characteristic of the sculptor. To this can be added the treatment of the hair, made up of long, wavy locks, loose on both sides of her face. The Saint is represented in a frontal position, standing with her right leg slightly forward, creating a contrapposto effect. Dressed in rich courtly clothing, she wears a dress in reddish tones tied with a fringed chord which falls to her feet forming folds reminiscent of Gothic folds. With a pronounced bosom, her white blouse peeks out and she is covered from shoulders to feet in a luxurious gold cloak with a blue interior. Saint Barbara gathers up the cloak with her right arm to pick it up, in one of the sculptor's graceful gestures. This sculpture gives a strong indication of Gil de Siloé's origin being Flemish, evident in the headdress that covers part of the saint's head, in her extremely delicate hands and in the sweet beauty of the face. Finally, the wonderful tower held in her left hand is remarkable and symbolizes Saint Barbara's attribute. In her other hand she would have held a palm, which is not preserved, symbolizing her martyrdom. The tower, according to tradition, consists of three windows "to remember the words of the Saint, according to whom the light had entered her through the three windows of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit", as indicated by Don Luis Monreal y Tejada in his Iconography of Christianity. In this tower she was locked up by her father, Dioscuros, to protect her from her suitors. Saint Barbara, who had previously baptized herself, fled from the tower and was therefore arrested, tried and sentenced to death. The miracle occurred when, before being beheaded, lightning struck, killing her tormentors. Saint Barbara, virgin and martyr, lived in Antioch in the middle of the 3rd century under the rule of Maximian. Gil de Siloé was a sculptor who was the greatest representative of Elizabethan Gothic, a style typical of the Crown of Castile which originated after the merging of Mudejar art and Flamboyant Gothic with Flemish influences. His origin remains uncertain: it seems likely that he was Flemish and the fact that he sometimes signed "Gil de Enberres" (Amberes being the Spanish for Antwerp) attests to this, but he also sometimes signed "Gil de Urliones" (possibly referring to Orleans) so a possible French origin remains on the table. Be that as it may, Burgos and his great artistic activity attracted him. He arrived there, as el Prado explains in its biography, with an already "defined sculptural language that he would maintain throughout his career and that is characterized by a detailed and meticulous technique that tends to cover all surfaces with decorative elements.” Despite having been called by the rich activity of Burgos, "he lived and worked in Burgos, in Castile, without his clients or the environment influencing him enough to make him change his art", affirms the professor of Art History from the University of Burgos, Dr. Alberto C. Ibáñez Pérez, in the article on Siloé from the Royal Academy of History. The great quality and renown of his work resulted in the creation of a sculptural focus in Burgos, which "radiated its activity and influence throughout the Castilian territory" from the end of the 15th century. Highlights of the artist's output include the altarpiece of the Tree of Jesse, the main altarpiece of the chapel of the Conception in Burgos Cathedral, made between 1483 and 1486, which is considered his first great work and was conceived "with the idea of uniting the three major arts in order to offer a message, in which reality presented with elegant detail served as visual support for the idea,” Ibáñez explains. Also remarkable is the tomb of the parents of Queen Isabel the Catholic, documented in 1486, and that of her brother, Prince Alfonso, both works commissioned by the Queen and sculpted in alabaster, for the Miraflores Charterhouse. The church also has a a Madonna and Child by Siloé, known as the Virgin of the Choir, practically identical to the one exhibited in the Museo del Prado (E000961). Reference bibliography: - Monreal y Tejada, Luis. (2000). “Iconografía del Cristianismo”. El Acantilado. - Ibáñez Pérez, Alberto C. (s.f.). “Gil Siloe”. Real Academia de la Historia. https://dbe.rah.es/biografias/14526/gil-siloe - Museo del Prado. (s.f.). “Siloé, Gil de”. https://www.museodelprado.es/aprende/enciclopedia/voz/siloe-gil-de/fa1e7ddb-348a-4871-8f36-18363eb8e102