El Greco: A Chronology of a Life

Candia, Crete (1541–67)

1541
Born Domenikos Theotokopoulos in Candia, Crete (now Iraklion) to Greek Orthodox parents.

About 1550–65
Undertakes an apprenticeship to become an icon painter. 

1566
Lifelong legal battles begin when he is sued by a Venetian nobleman, likely for breach of a commission contract.

Venice (1567–70)

1567–70
Moves to Venice early in the year and creates paintings that are influenced by Titian, Tintoretto, and other highly successful Venetian artists.

Rome (1570–77)

1570
Arrives in Rome after touring major cities in central Italy. He is granted residence in the Palazzo Farnese, home of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese.

1572
Writes a letter seeking forgiveness for a misstep—unknown to modern historians—that has led to his eviction from the Palazzo Farnese.

Joins the Compagnia di San Luca, a guild that formally allows him to work as a painter in the city, as “Dominico Greco.” By the end of the year, he opens a workshop.

About 1576
Without a major patron or public commissions, El Greco leaves Rome for Spain.

Toledo (1577–1614)

1577
Paints The Adoration of the Name of Jesus for King Philip II of Spain, hoping to secure a royal commission that does not immediately materialize.

Diego de Castilla, a connection from Rome, commissions the artist to paint The Disrobing of Christ for Toledo Cathedral and to decorate a church in Toledo known as Santo Domingo el Antiguo. 

1578
Jorge Manuel Theotokopoulos, El Greco’s only known child, is born. El Greco and Jorge Manuel’s mother, Jerónima de las Cuevas, never marry.

1579
Over the course of the summer, El Greco completes The Disrobing of Christ for Toledo Cathedral. Lawsuits ensue over the value of the work and the cathedral’s demands that El Greco change elements of the painting. The artist receives final payment three years later without having made the requested adjustments.

El Greco’s nine paintings, including The Assumption of the Virgin, and five sculptures for the church of Santo Domingo el Antiguo are installed in time for the building’s dedication.

1582 
Completes The Martyrdom of Saint Maurice and the Theban Legion, a commission from Philip II for the basilica at El Escorial. Although he admired the high quality of the work, Philip commissions a replacement from another artist and installs El Greco’s painting in a less prominent place than the intended location.

1583 
El Greco signs a lease to rent three apartments in the palace of the Marquis of Villena in Toledo for his family and a workshop. In this space, El Greco and his assistants produce both large-scale commissions and works that could be purchased off the rack.

1586 
Andres Nuñez de Madrid, parish priest of the church of Santo Tomé, commissions the artist to paint The Burial of the Count of Orgaz.

1588
Another valuation dispute occurs over The Burial of the Count of Orgaz. After a series of legal battles, the church of Santo Tomé agrees to pay El Greco in part by settling some of his debts.

1595–96
Commissioned by his longtime friend and patron, Pedro Salazar de Mendoza, administrator of the Hospital of San Juan Bautista (called the Hospital Tavera), to produce a tabernacle and five sculptures. He is also commissioned to produce an altarpiece for the Colegio de Doña María de Aragón in Madrid.

1597 
Martín Ramírez de Zayas, a professor of theology at the University of Toledo, commissions El Greco to paint three altarpieces for his family burial chapel of San José.

1598–1601
Although eventually settled, El Greco is involved in legal disputes regarding payment for the commissions for the Hospital Tavera, Colegio de Colegio de Doña María de Aragón, and chapel of San José.

1603
Jorge Manuel, now about 25 years old, takes on more legal responsibility in the workshop, acting as a witness for contracts and receiving money on his father’s behalf.

El Greco and Jorge Manuel receive a commission for an altarpiece with paintings and sculptures for the church of the Hospital of Nuestra Señora de la Caridad in Illescas, a village between Toledo and Madrid.

1604 
El Greco rents 24 rooms in the palace of the Marquis of Villena to accommodate the increasing size and activity level of his workshop.

1605
Along with more disputes over value, the Hospital de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad complains about El Greco’s depiction of contemporary figures and his failure to meet the commission deadline, among other issues. The artist responds by filing a complaint of his own over delayed payment.

1607 
El Greco and the Hospital of Nuestra Señora de la Caridad agree to a final valuation of the altarpiece, but El Greco does not make the requested adjustments to the paintings.

El Greco is asked to complete the decoration of the Oballe Chapel in the church of San Vicente after the death of the original artist. He agrees but proposes some changes to the design.

1608 
Salazar de Mendoza offers El Greco a second commission for the Hospital Tavera: to create three painted altarpieces (with their frames) and 12 sculptures for the chapel. 

1610
El Greco and Jorge Manuel sue the guarantors of the Hospital Tavera for payment of promised funds and in the meantime limit their work on the commission.

1612 
The abbess and prioress of the church of Santo Domingo el Antiguo offers El Greco and his son a family burial vault on the condition that Jorge Manuel will decorate it at his own expense and create a monument for the monastery.

1614
The Adoration of the Shepherds is installed with El Greco’s tomb. The family vault is eventually transferred to another church, now destroyed.

Sick in bed, El Greco gives Jorge Manuel and Jorge Manuel’s mother, Jerónima de las Cuevas, authority to write his last will and testament, pay his debts, and arrange for his burial.

1614
El Greco dies in Toledo on April 7 at age 73 and is buried at Santo Domingo el Antiguo. The unfinished Oballe and Tavera commissions pass to Jorge Manuel.