Pedro de Mena

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is de Mena and the second or maternal family name is Medrano.

Pedro de Mena Magdalena penitente ni Penitent Mary Magdalene by Pedro de Mena in National Museum of Sculpture, Valladolid.

Pedro de Mena y Medrano (20 August 1628 - 13 October 1688) was a Spanish sculptor and after Alonso Cano's death in 1667, Pedro de Mena became the top sculptor in the Iberian Peninsula.

Biography

Pedro de Mena y Medrano was born on 20 August 1628 in Granada, Andalusia. Pedro was the son of Alonso de Mena and Juana de Medrano y Cabrera. He was baptized on 20 August 1628 at the parish of Santiago in Granada.

Marriage

In 1647, he married Catalina de Vitoria y Urquijo, with whom he had numerous descendants, five of whom entered religious orders.

Career

He learned the sculptor's trade alongside his father Alonso, and after his father's death in 1646, Pedro took over the family workshop, which was the most important in Granada at that time.

He was a pupil of his father Alonso de Mena as well as of Alonzo Cano. After Alonso Cano's death in 1667, Pedro de Mena y Medrano became the top sculptor in the Iberian Peninsula, leading to higher prices for his work and a significant increase in commissions. As a result, he relied more on his workshop's staff, which affected the quality of his sculptures. In the 1670s, Pedro also became involved in various business ventures, including selling slaves, real estate transactions, and silk trading.

His first success was achieved in work for the convent of St. Anthony Granada, including figures of St Joseph, St Anthony of Padua, St Diego, St Pedro Mentara, St Francis, and St Clare.

In 1658 he signed a contract for sculptural work on the choir stalls of the cathedral of Málaga, this work extending over four years. Other works include statues of the Madonna and child and of St Joseph in Madrid, the polychromatic figures in the church of St Isodoro, the Magdalena and the Gertrudlis in the church of St Martin (Madrid), the crucifixion in the Nuestra Señora de Gracia (Madrid), the statuette of St Francis of Assisi in Toledo, and of St Joseph in the St Nicholas church in Murcia. Mena traveled to Madrid in 1662.

Between 1673 and 1679 Mena worked at Córdoba. About 1680 he was in Granada, where he executed a half-length Madonna and child (seated) for the church of St. Dominic.

Death

Mena died in Málaga, city where he spent most of his life, and where he had a sculpture studio for thirty years until his death on 13 October 1688.

Legacy

Mena and José Mora may be regarded as artistic descendants of Juan Martínez Montañés and Alonzo Cano, but in technical skill and the expression of religious motive his statues are unsurpassed in the sculpture of Spain. His skill to sculpt nude figures was remarkable. Like his immediate predecessors, he excelled in the portrayal of contemplative figures and scenes.

References

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Mena, Pedro de". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 18 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 108.