Juan Rodríguez de Toledo

Juan Rodríguez de Toledo spent his life painting in the shadow of cathedrals, where he could sneak glances at the gold leaf on the altar while mixing his pigments. In 1415 he finished the Archbishop’s altarpiece, a hinge moment in Spanish art: the robes aren’t just gold, they’re hammered so thin you’d swear you could see the archbishop’s blush beneath. Drop into the Museo del Prado’s Sala 004 and stand in front of it; the left panel’s red is still warm enough to make you step back.