Jacopo Torni l'indaco vecchio and the emergence of Spanish classical stereotomy

Abstract

A widespread conception in Spanish Renaissance architecture studies considers stonemasons and stonecutting as a reactionary force opposed to the renovation of the architectural vocabulary brought about by Italianate artists. This view, though, appears to be rather simplistic. It is certainly true that some elements of the stonemasons' lore, such as the stonecutting tools, derive from Romanesque or Antique origins; but it is also true that the adoption of classical forms in stone vaults fostered the development of new stereotomical methods. These new stonecutting techniques derive neither from the mainstream of Late Gothic stone construction nor from the brick vaults of Italian tradition. This paper will analyze an episode that exemplifies these complex relations. Jacopo Torni, L'Indaco vecchio, a Florentine painter, worked with Pinturricchio in the Borgia Rooms and with Michelangelo in the Sistine ceiling. Due to unknown reasons, he went to Spain in 1520 and two years later he was made master mason of Murcia cathedral. Without prior architectural experience, he had to carry on a complex architectural program. In just four years he built a number of pieces that show a remarkable command of classical architecture and a complete mastery of the stonecutting technique, such as one of the first stone pendentive vaults in Europe and a singular skew passage. The construction of early Renaissance vaults at Murcia cathedral does not show, therefore, a confrontation between traditional masons and innovative artists but, quite to the contrary, stereotomical skill at the service of Renaissance architecture.