OCAMPO, Andrés de - b. ~1550 Villacarrillo, Jaén, d. 1623 Sevilla

Spanish sculptor. He moved at an early age to Seville where he was apprenticed to Jerónimo Hernández Estrada (1541-1586), who left Ocampo his library and tools when he died. In 1575 Ocampo became a master sculptor after passing the guild examination; a year later he married Catalina Ponce, the daughter of the architect Hernán Ruiz. Among his many apprentices were his nephew, Francisco de Ocampo (d. 1639), and Alonso de Mena y Escalante of Granada.

Ocampo was a leading exponent of Roman Mannerism, and he was influenced by the theories of Sebastiano Serlio and Andrea Palladio in the structure of his altarpieces. His human figures show power and monumentality, tendencies inspired by Michelangelo. Even though Ocampo was Andalusian, his workshop provided sculpture for patrons throughout Spain, including members of the royal family.

The Béjar Crucifix

This crucifix originates from the chapel of the ducal palace of El Bosque, a large country house built for Don Francisco de Zuniga y Sotomayor, 4th Duke of B�jar and Plasencia, and his wife Brianda Sarmiento de la Cerda in the town of B�jar near Salamanca. Characteristic features are the angular pectoral muscles, mirrored by the outline of the lower edge of the rib cage, and the overall muscular build.