SILOÉ, Gil de
(d. ca. 1501, Burgos)

Tomb of Infante Alfonso

1489-93
Alabaster
Monastery of Miraflores, Burgos

From about 1470 Gil de Siloé, a notable sculptor, probably of Flemish origin, was the central figure of the Burgos school of sculpture in Spain. He is known for his elaborate detail, bringing to his carving the delicacy of a goldsmith. The handsome effects he was able to obtain would be almost barbaric were it not for the heightened naturalism of his figures and his refined conception of space. His more important works include the funerary statues of King Juan II and his wife, Isabella of Portugal, in the Carthusian monastery of Miraflores, the great retable in the same monastery, and the tombs of the Infante Alfonso and Juan de Padilla.

Infante Don Alfonso was the son of Juan II of Castile and Isabel of Portugal.