Berruguete, Alonso

(born c. 1488, Paredes de Nava, Castile—died 1561, Toledo, Castile) Spanish sculptor and painter. His father, Pedro Berruguete, was a great Renaissance painter. Alonso worked in Florence and Rome c. 1508–16. In 1516 he returned to Spain, and in 1518 he became court painter to Charles V. He succeeded primarily as a sculptor, however, and became known for his intensely emotional Mannerist sculptures of figures portrayed in spiritual torment or in transports of religious ecstasy. His best-known work is a set of wooden reliefs with highly expressive figures for choir stalls in Toledo Cathedral (1539–43). Berruguete's use of a rather rich and extravagant but delicate ornamentation in his church decorations is typical of Spain's Plateresque style. He is considered the greatest Spanish sculptor of the 16th century.

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