Asher Benjamin
architect.
He published Town and Country Builder's Assistant (1797), The Practical House Carpenter (4th ed., 1835) and Elements of Architecture, books much used by early American architects. He built numerous residences in western Massachusetts.
Francisco Eduardo Tresguerras
architect, sculptor, painter, musician, and poet; b. October 13, 1759 (at Celaya, Mexico); d. August 3, 1833.
"The Michelangelo of Mexico." Tresguerras was a pupil of the painter Miguel Cabrera for a short time at the Academy of S. Carlos, in the city of Mexico. He did not have the advantage of European travel and study. His activity was confined to a group of cities in the vicinity of Celaya. He began as a painter and afterward took up wood carving, and acquired extraordinary skill in that art. He probably learned the elements of architecture from the Jesuits, who supplied him with a Vignola and other architectural works. Tresguerras's work as an architect is characterized by great originality and beauty of proportion, especially in domes and towers. His interiors are extremely rich. His best building is the church of Nuestra Señora del Carmen, at Celaya. Other important works are the convent churches of S. Rosa and S. Clara in Querétaro, the Alarson Theatre in San Luis Potosi, the bridge of La Laja, the beautiful church of La Conception in San Miguel de Allenda, and other works. His most important picture is the altarpiece of the church of S. Rosa in Querétaro. At the age of seventy he became an enthusiastic supporter of the Mexican revolution.
Alfonso Giraldo Vergaz
sculptor, painter, and architect; b. January 23, 1744 (at Murcia, Spain); d. November 19, 1812.
He studied sculpture under Felipe de Castro in Madrid, and April 15, 1797, was made director of the Academia de S. Fernando in that city. Among his works are a statue of Don Carlos III in the plaza publica of Burgos, a statue of Juan Sebastian Elcano at Guetaria, three angels in the cathedral of Jaen, and various works in Madrid.
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