Nicol?s de Vergara

(b ?Toledo, c. 1517; d Toledo, 11 Aug 1574). Sculptor, painter and architect. He worked first as a sculptor and glass painter and was a master of both these crafts for Toledo Cathedral from 1542 until his death. From 1555 he worked with Juan Bautista V?zquez on retables for the church at Hu?scar, Granada (1555), and for S Mar?a la Blanca in Toledo (1558) and on tombs at Almagro, Ciudad Real (1555), and Villagarc?a, Badajoz (1560). He also designed important pieces in silver, such as the arca of S Eugenio (1569; Toledo Cathedral). His most outstanding sculpture (1564-74) decorates the choir-screen in Toledo Cathedral, but more individual are his works in bronze, such as the lecterns (1562-71) in Toledo Cathedral and the grille (1566-80) of the tomb (1518-21) of Cardinal Francisco Jim?nez de Cisneros in the chapel of the University of Alcal? de Henares, which demonstrate his classical version of Alonso Berruguete's style. He provided the architectural decoration (1569) for the chapel of the Virgen de la Salud in S Leocadia, Toledo, and in 1573 he began the stucco decoration, painting and sculpture of the retable and chapel of S Gil in Toledo Cathedral (completed by (2) Nicol?s de Vergara (ii)).

Part of the Vergara family

See the Abbreviations for further details.