Искусства и ремесла Средневековья

269

Carving in Wood and . Ivory

Cano ,Yas a1so а paintcr of coнsidcraЫe me1·it, but as а sculptoг in ,Yood he \Yas paгticularly successfнl. His first eonspictюнs ,vork ,Yas а ПС\V Ьigl1 altal' fш tЬе сЬшсЬ of Lebгija, ,YЬich camc to Ьim on accouнt of tЬе death of his fatlicг, n'lю was roшшenciпg tl1c ,voi·k in 1630, whcn Ьis life was sшldeпly снt off. Alonso шаdе this alta1· so beautifнlly, tЬat Ье ,Yas paid t,vo Ьundгed апd fifty ducats шше thaп Ьс asked ! Colunшs апd cornices are aiтangcd so as to fraшc fош excellent statL1es. These carvings have becn csteeшed so blgbly tlшt aгtists саше to stнdy them all the way f1·om Flaп­ ders. Tl1e altal' is coloшed, likc most of tl1e Spanish 1·etaЫos. Cano ,Yas а pugпacious cЬaracte1·, always getting into scгapes, using l1is stilctto, апd bcing oЬliged to shift his гcsidcncc оп slюгt notice. It is 1·ешагkаЫс that Ьis erratic life dic1 not int,erfcгe ,vith his \vork, \vl1ich seems to have gопе calmly on i11 spitc of c1omcstic and civic difficulties. Among Ьis ,vorks at vaгioнs places, ,vherc Ьis destiny took him, was а tabeшacle fo1· tЬе Catheclгal of l\Ialaga. Не Ьасl ,Yшked fш sоше timc at the desigпs fo1· tl1is taberпacle, ,Yl1cn it "·as ,vЬispci·cd to llim tlшt, thc Bishop of l\Ialaga intcш1ec1 to gct а bargain, and шеапt to bcat lliш dO\vп in l1is chaгges. So, paeking нр l1is plans апd dravvings, and gctting on his шнlе, Cano obse1·ved, "Thesc dгюvings are eithcr tobegiven юуау for 11othing, 01· else they are to bгing t\vo thoнsand clнcats." ТЬе пе,Уs of his departшe caнsed аlа1·ш among tlюse iп authoгity, and Ье ,yas шged to b1·ing back the designs, and receive his o,vn ргiсе.