In this entry we travel to the Madrid region (Spain) to explore the marvellous and imaginative gargoyles of one of the most important examples of the Spanish Renaissance: the extraordinary façade of the University of Alcalá de Henares.
In 1537, the great Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón was put in charge of this magnificent work, the construction of which would last until 1553. Gil de Hontañón was assisted by a workshop of excellent artists and craftsmen.
These included Juan de Miera, who made twelve of the fourteen gargoyles between 1549 and 1551, and Cristóbal de Villanueva, who made the other two in 1548.
The Gargoyles: An Example of Creativity and Artistic Expression
The figures depicted on the gargoyles of the façade are very peculiar indeed. Although we know that gargoyles were mainly represented in the Gothic period, we also have examples from the Renaissance. In Spain, Renaissance architecture was slow to renounce the use of gargoyles. As Burbank Bridaham says, even the Renaissance, eager to rid itself of any taint produced by the “vulgar” Gothic, could not resist adopting gargoyles into its style.
In the Gothic manner, we have these exceptional gargoyles, which nevertheless have a Renaissance touch in some details and ornamentation.
What do these gargoyles represent that makes them so fascinating and unique?
All the figures depicted are placed under a guttering block, with a U-shaped mouth, which serves as a drain. We have already seen this element in some gargoyles, such as in Salamanca Cathedral (Spain). Although the water does not flow directly out of the mouth of the gargoyle, it is true that this type of structure helps the figure represented to deteriorate much less due to various factors (climatic, biological, chemical, etc.).
All gargoyles have, as ornamentation, a piece with appendages that emerge from a vertex, giving it a fan shape; the outermost tip ends in a spiral, a very frequent Renaissance finial. This element, in addition to serving as decoration, gives them the appearance of wings, enhancing their fantastical and otherworldly look.
Some of them have plant elements – e.g. bodies and hands ending in leaves – that are also typical of the Renaissance and Plateresque periods, such as can be seen in Salamanca Cathedral –it is worth noting that Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón also worked on this cathedral–, and which are likewise reminiscent of Renaissance grotesque.
Typologies
The subject matter is highly varied. There are a total of 14 gargoyles, all of them diverse and highly imaginative in their typology. Following the order of the photographs below, we have the figure of a man with large acanthus-like leaves from the waist down. Next, we see a wild boar, an eagle (or what appears to be such, as it is damaged), a child, a lion, a ram, a bat, a bearded man with parchment, and also a beautiful figure of a woman holding a mirror (vanity) with a naked torso and a cloth covering her from the waist down. There are also several monsters and demons, some of them terrifying, expressive, and magnificent. One of them is an anthropomorphic figure with pointed ears, a human torso and leaves as hands. Two of them, one with the head of a lion and the other with the head of a bird, have large fangs and protruding eyebrows. Another has a goatee, a plume and legs ending in leaves. Finally, there is an impressive demon with a dragon-like body and feet that end in coiled snake tails.
Undoubtedly, this is one of the most excellent and magnificent sets of Renaissance gargoyles in the Madrid region and in Spain. They are all unique gargoyles of great sculptural beauty. This beautiful façade, declared a World Heritage Site, together with the rest of the historic quarter of Alcalá de Henares, is an example of artistic excellence. Its gargoyles, admirably carved with detail and skill, expressiveness and plasticity, are part of this formidable façade which is well worth a visit.
Bibliography consulted
BURBANK BRIDAHAM, L., The Gargoyle Book. 572 examples from Gothic Architecture, New York, Dover Publications, Inc., 2006.
SOBRINO GONZÁLEZ, M., “El cimborrio y otras soluciones a las cubiertas en la arquitectura altomedieval”, Actas del Cuarto Congreso Nacional de Historia de la construcción. Cádiz, 27-29 de enero de 2005 (edición a cargo de S. Huerta), vol. II (2005), pp. 1017-1027.
Doctor of Art History and researcher specializing in the study of gargoyles.
I am Dolores Herrero Ferrio, and my thesis, “An Approach to the Study of Gargoyles of Gothic Cathedrals in Castilla and León”, is dedicated to the study of these fascinating figures.
If you like gargoyles and art history, you will also enjoy my book, “The Gargoyle and Its Iconography,” a book I have written with great care for those interested in the world of gargoyles.
I have created my own Encyclopedia of Gargoyles, a Gargopedia to share with you, where you will discover all the secrets and wonders of these enigmatic sculptures.
I hope you enjoy this Gargopedia as much as I have enjoyed creating it, and remember that each gargoyle has a story to tell, and here you will discover them all.
