Title

The upper choir stall

Author

Bigarny, Philippe

Langrés (Borgoña), ca. 1475 - Toledo, 1543

Co-author

Berruguete, Alonso

Paredes de Navas, Palencia, ca. 1488 - Toledo, 1561

Typology

Date

Century

Technique

Support

Inscriptions

SGNA. TUM MARMOREA. TUM LIGNEA. CELABERE. HINE PHILIPUS BURGUNDIO. EX ADVERSUM BERRUGUETIUS. HISPANUS CERTABERUNT HUNC ARTIFICIUM INGENIA. CERTABUNT SEMPER SPECTATORUM JUDITIA.

[They carved this work in marble and wood, in this side Philipe Bigarny, and at the opposite side the spanish Berruguete. Then competed the ingenuity of craftmanship, in the same way they will forever compete with the opinions of those who will examine this piece] (Franco Mata, 2010, 138)

Observations

The Cathedral of Toledo invested a large portion of its financial resources in the construction of the new choir stalls. Bigarny was commissioned to design the Gospel side, while Berruguete was responsible for the opposite side. The iconographic language was conceived by Canon López de Ayala.

Bigarny was originally tasked to design the archbishop's chair, but he passed away before completing it, and instead it was finished by Alonso Berruguete.

The archbishop honored both artists with an inscription upon the completion of the choir stalls.

Bibliography

• A. Franco Mata (2010): "El coro de la catedral de Toledo", Abrente: Boletín de la Real Academia Gallega de Bellas Artes de Nuestra Señora del Rosario, nº 42-43, ABRENTE, A Coruña, pp. 136, 140.
• I. del Río de la Hoz (2001): El Escultor Felipe Bigarny (h-1470-1542), Junta de Castilla y León. Conserjería de Educación y Cultura, Salamanca, pp. 298-310.
• J.M. Azcárate (1958): Escultura del siglo XVI. Ars Hispaniae. Historia Universal del Arte Hispánico, vol. 13, Plus-Ultra, Madrid, p. 46.
• G. Perez de Villa-Amil, P. de la Escosura (1842): España artística y monumental. Vistas y descripción, vol. 1, nº 11, Casa de Alberto Hauser, Paris, pp. 85-86.

Locations

• Toledo Cathedral, Toledo (Spain)