Estêvão Gonçalves Neto (d. 29 July 1627) was a Portuguese priest who became a notable illuminator and miniature artist. His work has been compared to that of

Federico Barocci Federico Barocci (also written Barozzi) ( – 30 September 1612) was an Italian Renaissance painter and printmaker. His original name was Federico Fiori, and he was nicknamed Il Baroccio. His work was highly esteemed and influential, and foresha ...

and

Taddeo Zuccari Taddeo Zuccaro (or Zuccari) (1 September 15292 September 1566) was an Italian painter, one of the most popular members of the Roman mannerist school. Biography Zuccaro was born in Sant'Angelo in Vado, near Urbino, the son of Ottaviano Zuccaro, ...

Early life

Little information is available about his early life and familial background. Historians speculate that he could be a descendant of Lord of Alba de Yeltes, who fled to Portugal to escape persecution by

Isabella I of Castile Isabella I (; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''Isabel la Católica''), was Queen of Castile and List of Leonese monarchs, León from 1474 until her death in 1504. She was also Queen of Aragon ...

due to his support of Joanna ''la Beltraneja'''s claim to the throne of Castile.

Career

He was chaplain to the Bishop of Viseu, João Manuel de Ataíde, who made him a canon of his

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

on 8 October 1622, following the death of canon Cristóvão de Mesquita. From some of his miniatures signed "''Abbas Sereiiensis''", he seems to have been previously abbot of , in

Pinhel Pinhel () is a municipality, former Catholic bishopric and present Latin titular see in the central subregion of Beira Interior Norte, in Portugal. The municipality population in 2011 was 9,627, in an area of 484.52 km2. The urban centre of ...

, near Guarda (though some older authors erroneously interpret this as Serém, a place in Macinhata do Vouga,

Águeda Águeda () is a city and a municipality in Portugal. According to the Portuguese 2011 census, the municipality of Águeda had 47,729 inhabitants, in an area of . The city proper had a population of 14,504 (2001 data), while the remainder is distri ...

). His masterpiece, a profusely illustrated Roman Pontifical made from 1616 to 1622 is part of the collection of the

Lisbon Academy of Sciences The Academy of Sciences of Lisbon () is Portugal's national academy dedicated to the advancement of sciences and learning, with the goal of promoting academic progress and prosperity in Portugal. It is one of Portugal's most prestigious scientif ...

. It is regarded as one of the best examples of Portuguese illumination.

References

1627 deaths 17th-century Portuguese artists Canons (priests) Portuguese abbots Portuguese Roman Catholic priests {{Portugal-RC-clergy-stub