Pedro de Mena
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Pedro de Mena (1628-1688) was a Spanish Baroque sculptor from Granada who became one of the greatest practitioners of polychrome wood sculpture in Spain. He trained under his father, Alonso de Mena, and later worked closely with Alonso Cano. His carved and painted wooden figures of saints achieve a startling emotional and physical realism.
Mena's Magdalene in the Museo Nacional de Escultura in Valladolid, depicting a gaunt, grief-stricken penitent in a rough hair shirt, is one of the most powerful devotional images in Spanish art. His Ecce Homo busts and figures of St. Francis demonstrate the intense spiritual naturalism that defined the Spanish Baroque tradition.
Sculptures by Pedro de Mena
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Museums with Pedro de Mena's Work
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About Pedro de Mena
Mena is known for intensely realistic polychrome wood sculptures of saints and religious figures. His Penitent Magdalene in Valladolid is one of the most emotionally powerful devotional sculptures in Spanish art.
Major works are at the Museo Nacional de Escultura in Valladolid, Granada Cathedral, and Malaga Cathedral. The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Hispanic Society also hold pieces.
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