Jordi de Déu (later Jordi Johan; died c. 1418) was a Catalan Gothic sculptor of Greek origin, born in

Messina Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in ...

. He was bought as a slave in Barcelona by the sculptor

Jaume Cascalls Jaume Cascalls (early 14th century – 1378) was a Spanish sculptor, born in Berga. He was a representative of the Catalan school of Gothic sculpture. He was married to the daughter of painter Ferrer Bassa, with whom he had a profitable work ...

, who taught him sculpture. The first mentions of Jordi working alongside his master, on the royal tombs in

Poblet Monastery Poblet Abbey, otherwise the Royal Abbey of Santa Maria de Poblet ( ca, Reial Monestir de Santa Maria de Poblet), is a Cistercian monastery, founded in 1151, located at the foot of the Prades Mountains, in the comarca of Conca de Barberà, in Ca ...

date to 1363. He also collaborated on the apostles statues for the portal of the

Cathedral of Tarragona The Cathedral of Tarragona is a Roman Catholic church in Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. The edifice is located in a site previously occupied by a Roman temple dating to the time of Tiberius, a Visigothic cathedral, and a Moorish mosque. It was dec ...

(1370–1377). After Cascall's death, King Peter IV of Aragon named him director of the works on the royal tombs (1381). In 1385 he executed a

retable A retable is a structure or element placed either on or immediately behind and above the altar or communion table of a church. At the minimum it may be a simple shelf for candles behind an altar, but it can also be a large and elaborate structur ...

Vallfogona de Riucorb Vallfogona de Riucorb () is a municipality and village in the ''comarca'' of the Conca de Barberà in central Catalonia, Spain. It is situated in the Comalats range in the north of the ''comarca'', with the Cap de Cans rising to 759 m. Vallfo ...

and, the following year, an alabaster retable of St. Lawrence for the church of

Santa Coloma de Queralt Santa Coloma de Queralt is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Conca de Barberà in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated in the north-east of the ''comarca'' about from the city of Tarragona. The town is linked to the rest of the ''comarca'' a ...

. In

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

, bishop commissioned sculptures from him for the choir of the city's Cathedral, as well as other works in the same church. Later he received a commission for fifty capitals in the

Monastery of Santa María de Ripoll The Monastery of Santa Maria de Ripoll is a Benedictine monastery, built in the Romanesque style, located in the town of Ripoll in Catalonia, Spain. Although much of the present church is 19th century rebuilding, the sculptured portico is a renown ...

. He later worked on the Gothic decoration of Barcelona's Town Hall. His sons Antonio and

Pere Johan Pere Johan or Pere Joan (born c. 1400) was a Catalan Gothic sculptor. He was the son of sculptor Jordi de Déu, a former slave and disciple of sculptor Jaume Cascalls. His first solo works are known from the late 1410s, such as a keystone in the ...

were both sculptors.

Sources

* 14th-century births 1410s deaths Sculptors from Catalonia People from Messina Spanish slaves Spanish people of Greek descent Artists from Sicily Medieval slaves Medieval sculptors {{Spain-sculptor-stub