Montorsoli, Giovanni Angelo (1507–c. 1561) Italian
sculptor in marble
Born at Montorsoli, near Florence, he was taught by An-
drea Ferrucci and influenced by the work of MICHELAN-
GELO, whom he assisted in the 1520s. In 1531 Montorsoli
became a brother in the Servite order and during the next
five years executed commissions for the Servites in the
church of the SS. Annunziata in Florence. After three
years in Naples, Montorsoli went to Genoa in 1539 and in
1547 to Messina in Sicily. Here, as master of the works at
the cathedral, he created his two best-known works: the
fountain of Orion and the fountain of Neptune. Between
1558 and 1561 he worked in Bologna before finally re-
turning to his convent in Florence.
Montpellier A city in southern France renowned during
the later Middle Ages and Renaissance as a center for the
teaching of medicine. The school of medicine originated
in the 12th century and drew a number of its earliest
teachers from Montpellier’s thriving Jewish community.
The university was founded at the end of the 13th century.
During the religious wars of the 16th and 17th centuries
Montpellier suffered considerable damage, particularly in
the 1620s when its Protestant defenders were eventually
forced to submit after a long siege. Its botanic garden was
founded in 1592. The Montpellier medical school at-
tracted trainee physicians from all over Europe and a
number of distinguished botanists were also associated
with it. RABELAISwas a medical student there, as were the
botanists CLUSIUSand L’OBEL, both of whom studied under
the naturalist RONDELET.
Mor, Anthonis See MORO, ANTONIO
Morales, Cristóbal (c. 1500–1553) Spanish composer
Morales was born in Seville, where he was trained as a
chorister at the cathedral. His first position was as choir-
master at Ávila cathedral (1526–29). In 1535 he joined
the papal choir in Rome where he stayed for 10 years and
published several collections of his compositions. During
this period he traveled widely with the papal choir, which
advanced his reputation as a singer and composer. He re-
turned to Spain in 1545 and was appointed choirmaster at
Toledo cathedral that same year. After a period in the ser-
vice of the duke of Arcos at Marchena, near Seville, he be-
came choirmaster at Málaga cathedral (1551), where he
remained until his death.
Morales is one of the finest polyphonic composers of
the Andalusian school of musicians. His output consists
almost entirely of sacred works and of these his Magnifi-
cats, 16 in total, were the most popular and widely
printed. He was the first composer to write Magnificats in
all eight ecclesiastical modes. However, Morales regarded
his Masses as his best work and he personally supervised
the publication of 16 while in Rome (1544). This was
quickly disseminated throughout Europe and became the
earliest polyphonic collection of sacred music to be used
in the New World: a copy is held at Pueblo cathedral,
Mexico. His six-part motet Jubilate Deo omnis terra was
commissioned by Pope Paul III to celebrate the peace
treaty of Crépy between the Emperor Charles V and Fran-
cis I of France in 1544.Morales, Luís de (El Divino) (c. 1509–1586) Spanish
painter
Generally considered the greatest Spanish artist in the
mannerist style before EL GRECO, Morales spent most of
his life in his birthplace, Badajoz. He may have studied
under the Dutch artist Hernando Sturmio and was influ-
enced by the art of both the Flemish school and
Leonardo’s followers. Morales acquired his nickname on
account of the religious intensity of his works (he never
undertook profane subjects), which include a series of
about 20 paintings for the church of Arroyo del Puerco
(1563–68) and five panels in Badajoz cathedral. Notable
works include a Virgin and Child (National Gallery, Lon-
don) and a Pietà (Academia de San Fernando, Madrid).
Morales also worked for a time upon the decoration of the
ESCORIAL, at the behest of Philip II, and executed commis-
sions at Elvas and Évora in Portugal. Other influences
upon his highly personal style included the German artists
Martin SCHONGAUERand Albrecht DÜRER.Morata, Olimpia (1526–1555) Italian humanist and
scholar
She was the daughter of Pellegrino Morata, a humanist at
the Ferrarese court, and she grew up in the circle of
duchess Renata (RENÉE DE FRANCE). After studying Greek
and Latin, she instructed the duchess’s daughters in geom-
etry, classics, literature, and geography. She was active in a
circle of humanist scholars, but came under attack during
the Roman Inquisition of 1542 for her Protestant beliefs.
In 1548 she was stripped of her privileges and hounded
out of court. After marrying the German Lutheran physi-
cian Andres Grunthler in 1550, she went back with him to
his home in Schweinfurt, from where she conducted a cor-
respondence in Latin and Italian with her old associates in
Italy. Forced to flee Schweinfurt at the onset of war, she
and her husband settled in Heidelberg in 1554, but Morata
died a year later after a long bout of malaria. Her husband
ensured that her Latin and Greek orations, dialogues, let-
ters, and poems were published: Olympiae Fulviae Moratae
foeminae doctissimae ac plane divinae orationes, dialogi,
epistolae, carmina, tam Latina quam Graeca (1558).More, St. Thomas (1478–1535) English statesman,
scholar, and author
The son of a London barrister, More was brought up in the
household of Cardinal John Morton (c. 1420–1500), chief
minister of King Henry VII, before being sent to OxfordMMoorree,, SStt.. TThhoommaass 3 32233