To Cartagena de Indias: Route Map for a Sevillian Altarpiece Painted by Hernando de Esturmio (1550)

Abstract

The discovery of an unpublished document in the Archive of Notarial Protocols in Seville reveals the commission of the first altarpiece painted for the early cathedral of Cartagena de Indias. The patron Jorge de Quintanilla appointed the carver Bartolomé de Ortega, the painter Hernando de Esturmio and the gilder Andrés Morín to carry out the work. Quintanilla specified a precise iconography for the most relevant panel depicting Santa Catalina. His preferences may have been determined by his background and connected with the original location of the altarpiece. This case study is a meaningful example of the fertile circulation of images between Seville and the New World throughout the 16th century.

Keywords

• jorge de quintanilla
• cartagena de indias
• bartolomé de ortega
• hernando de esturmio
• andrés morín