Felipe de Castro (c. 1711 in Noya – 25 August 1775, in Madrid) was a Spanish sculptor of Galician origin. He was among the first to introduce the Neoclassical style to Spain, and served as sculptor to King

Ferdinand VI , house = Bourbon-Anjou , father = Philip V of Spain , mother = Maria Luisa of Savoy , birth_date = 23 September 1713 , birth_place = Royal Alcazar of Madrid, Madrid, Spain , death_date = , death_place = Villavici ...

. Some sources give his year of birth as 1704.

Life and works

According to the art historian,

Juan Agustín Ceán Bermúdez Juan Agustín Ceán Bermúdez (17 September 1749 in Gijón3 December 1829 in Madrid) was a Spanish writer on art. Biography Bermúdez was born in Gijón, Asturias. He founded an art academy at Seville, and was given responsibility to order the Ar ...

, he was born in 1711. He began his studies in Noya, then went to Santiago de Compostela, where he studied with some teachers of little note. The year 1724 found him in Portugal, from where he went to Seville; becoming employed in the workshop of Pedro Duque y Cornejo. There, he created altarpieces for the . In 1734, he went to Rome, at his own expense, to work in collaboration with and Filippo della Valle. He also met with Antonio Rafael Mengs. In 1739, he won the first prize for sculpture from the Accademia di San Luca; becoming a member there, as well as the

Pontifical Academy of Arcadia The Accademia degli Arcadi or Accademia dell'Arcadia, "Academy of Arcadia" or "Academy of the Arcadians", was an Italian literary academy founded in Rome in 1690. The full Italian official name was Pontificia Accademia degli Arcadi. History F ...

. When Ferdinand VI became King of Spain in 1747, he returned home and was appointed personal sculptor to the King. Two years after that, he and were put in charge of sculptural decorations for the

Palacio Real de Madrid The Royal Palace of Madrid ( es, Palacio Real de Madrid) is the official residence of the Spanish royal family at the city of Madrid, although now used only for state ceremonies. The palace has of floor space and contains 3,418 rooms. It is the ...

. The work involved representations of Spain's ninety-four previous kings. Over a dozen sculptors worked under their direction, including

Luis Salvador Carmona Luis Salvador Carmona (1708, Nava del Rey – 1767, Madrid) was a Spanish Baroque sculptor who came from a family of artists. Biography His parents were of modest means, but when he showed artistic aptitude, they sent him to Segovia to study. ...

and

Alejandro Carnicero Alejandro Carnicero (Íscar, 1693 - Madrid, 1756) was a Spanish sculptor of the Baroque period. He belongs to the Castilian school, following the style of Gregorio Fernández. His artistic language evolved from the 17th century models to a more ...

. Most of the statues have since been redistributed to various parks and gardens.Martín González, Juan José, ''Escultura barroca en España, 1600-1770'', Madrid, Cátedra, 1983, His main, personal, assignment during his tenure with King involved making portraits; notably of the King and his wife,

Bárbara de Braganza Barbara of Portugal (Maria Madalena Bárbara Xavier Leonor Teresa Antónia Josefa; 4 December 1711 – 27 August 1758) was an Infanta of Portugal, and a Queen of Spain by marriage to Ferdinand VI of Spain. Life Princess of Portugal The marriage ...

. He also made two marble busts of the monarchs which adorn their tombs at the Convento de las Salesas Reales. His portrait bust of fray

Martín Sarmiento Martín Sarmiento or Martiño Sarmiento, also Father Sarmiento (born Pedro José García Balboa; 9 March 1695 in Villafranca del Bierzo, El Bierzo – 7 December 1772 in Madrid) was a Spanish scholar, writer and Benedictine monk, illustrious repres ...

, (previously misidentified as

Benito Jerónimo Feijoo Benito may refer to: Places * Benito, Kentucky, United States * Benito, Manitoba, Canada * Benito River, a river in Equatorial Guinea Other uses * Benito (name) * Benito (1993), ''Benito'' (1993), an Italian film See also

* ''Benito Cereno'', ...

), conserved at the Real Academia, along with a bust of Alfonso Clemente de Aróstegui, both are excellent examples of his efforts to revitalize the styling of busts from the baroque to the neoclassic forms. Although of secondary importance to sculpting, he was also known as a teacher. During his years with the King, he participated in creating the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, and was named the Director of Sculpture there when it opened in 1752. To assist him with his teaching, he translated several texts on sculpting from Italian. His classes there were said to be extremely popular. In 1763, he became the General Director. One of his best known students was the engraver,

medallist A medalist (or medallist) is an artist who designs medals, plaquettes, badges, metal medallions, coins and similar small works in relief in metal. Historically, medalists were typically also involved in producing their designs, and were usually e ...

and typographer, .

References

External links

Scholarly articles
in English about Felipe de Castro. Attributed to both in web an
PDF
@ th
Spanish Old Masters Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Castro, Felipe de 1710s births 1775 deaths Spanish sculptors Spanish male sculptors Sculptors from Galicia (Spain) People from Noia (comarca)