The Burial of the Count of Orgaz
Two saints lay the count in his tomb while his soul is carried up to heaven. El Greco divides the picture into an earthly and a heavenly part, with elongated, flame-like figures.
The lower half is still and black; the upper half swirls. The boy on the left is probably El Greco’s son.
The painting was made in 1586–1588 for the church of Santo Tomé in Toledo. It was commissioned by the parish priest Andrés Núñez. He wanted to honour a benefactor of the church, Gonzalo Ruiz de Toledo, Lord of Orgaz, who died in 1323. According to legend Saints Stephen and Augustine came down from heaven to lay him in his tomb, in gratitude for his piety and gifts.
The contract of 1586 described in detail what was to be depicted. The picture still hangs in its original place in the church, above the count’s tomb. It is about 4.8 metres high. A dispute arose over the price when the work was finished, and El Greco eventually received less than he had demanded. The count was given the title of count only after his death; in his lifetime he was Lord of Orgaz.
The lower part shows the burial. The count wears armour and is lowered by the two saints in rich gold-embroidered vestments. Behind them stands a row of men in black with white ruffs. Their faces are thought to be portraits of contemporary noblemen and clergy of Toledo. One of the men, who looks out at us, has traditionally been considered to be El Greco himself, but this is uncertain.
At the far left stands a boy pointing at the count. From his pocket protrudes a handkerchief bearing El Greco’s signature and the year 1578, the year his son Jorge Manuel was born. The boy is therefore thought to represent the son. Beside him torches burn against the black background. The signature is written in Greek letters, as El Greco often did.
The upper part shows heaven. An angel carries the count’s soul, depicted as a translucent child, up through a narrow opening in the clouds. There Mary and John the Baptist are waiting, and at the very top sits Christ in white. Saints and apostles throng around, among them Peter with the keys. Some have wanted to see King Philip II among the blessed, an identification that is not certain.
The difference between the two parts is the point of the picture. Below, everything is still, ordered and real, with carefully rendered fabrics and faces. Above, the figures are elongated, the colours cold and the composition swirling. El Greco, who was born in Crete and had worked in Venice and Rome, combined Byzantine and Italian features in an entirely personal style. He called himself Domenikos Theotokopoulos, and the name El Greco simply means “the Greek”.
El Greco was partly forgotten after his death but was rediscovered around 1900. Modernists such as Picasso and the German Expressionists admired his distorted forms. Today The Burial of the Count of Orgaz is regarded as his finest work, and it is one of the most visited sights in Toledo.