José Leonardo, known also as Jusepe Leonardo (1601–1652), was a Spanish painter of the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

period, active during his maturity in the

royal court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word ''court'' may also be app ...

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

Biography

Leonardo was born at

Calatayud Calatayud (; 2014 pop. 20,658) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Province of Zaragoza, within Aragón, Spain, lying on the river Jalón (river), Jalón, in the midst of the Sistema Ibérico mountain range. It is the second-largest ...

in the Province of Zaragoza, and was a pupil of Eugenio Caxés. He trained with Pedro de las Cuevas, and became known for his battle paintings. He was painter to the king, and executed for the palace of Buen Retiro works worthy of celebrity; among them the ''Surrender of Juliers'' and the ''March of the Duke of Feria's Troop upon Acqui''. There is also a portrait of ''Alaric the Goth'' in the Royal collections. His '' The Brazen Serpent'' is still in Madrid. Leonardo was one of the artists used to decorate the Royal Alcazar of Madrid, restored by King

Philip IV of Spain Philip IV (, ; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered for his patronage of the ...

. Félix Castello and Leonardo painted the vaults of the

Sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...

of the Royal Chapel. He was unable to finish the

Reliquary A reliquary (also referred to as a ''shrine'', ''Chasse (casket), chasse'', or ''phylactery'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary, or the room in which one is stored, may also be called a ''feretory''. Relics may be the purported ...

in the same chapel and, in 1648, another painter was contracted. He apparently became an alcoholic, demented, and died at

Zaragoza Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...

. His enemies were accused of having poisoned him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leonardo, Jose 1601 births 1652 deaths People from Comunidad de Calatayud 17th-century Spanish painters Spanish male painters Spanish Baroque painters Spanish battle painters