Pedro Roldán (1624–1699) was a Baroque sculptor from

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

, Andalusia, Spain. His daughter Luisa Roldán, known as ''La Roldana'', was also a major figure of Spanish Baroque sculpture.

Life

Pedro Roldán was born in Seville in 1624, where he was baptized in the Church of the Sanctuary () 14 January 1624, according to his certificate of baptism. It was believed for a time in the 20th century that he might have been born in

Antequera Antequera () is a city and municipality in the Comarca de Antequera, province of Málaga, part of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is known as "the heart of Andalusia" (''el corazón de An ...

(

province of Málaga The province of Málaga ( ) is located in Andalusia, Spain. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the south and by the provinces of Cádiz to the west, Seville to the northwest, Córdoba to the north, and Granada to the east. The province ...

), because his family was from there and his older brother Marcos was born there, or alternatively that he could have been born in

Orce Orce is a municipality located in the province of Granada, in southeastern Spain. According to the 2009 census ( INE), the town has a population of 1,333 inhabitants. Paleoanthropology Orce is the location of the paleo-archaeological sites known ...

(

province of Granada Granada is a province of southern Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by the provinces of Albacete, Murcia, Almería, Jaén, Córdoba, Málaga, and the Mediterranean Sea (along the Costa Tropi ...

), where his family lived for a time when Pedro was a child At the age of fourteen, he moved to

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

where he apprenticed to Alonso de Mena. In 1642 he contracted marriage to Teresa de Jesús Ortega y Villavicencio, who was probably the niece of his master Alonso de Mena. There, in 1644, they had their first daughter, named María. In 1646, Alonso de Mena died, leaving Bernardo de Mora as the head of the studio; Roldán left for Seville. at this time,

Juan Martínez Montañés Juan Martínez Montañés (March 16, 1568 – June 18, 1649), known as el Dios de la Madera (''the God of Wood''), was a Spanish sculpture, sculptor, born at Alcalá la Real, in the Jaén (Spanish province), province of Jaén. He was one of th ...

was at the end of his career, presenting an opening for Roldán's work. In 1660 he began to teach classes in sculptural representation as a teacher at the Academy of Art founded by

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo Bartolomé Esteban Murillo ( , ; late December 1617, baptized January 1, 1618April 3, 1682) was a Spanish Baroque painter. Although he is best known for his religious works, Murillo also produced a considerable number of paintings of contempor ...

. In his last years, he established a large studio where he collaborated with members of his family (his children and sons-in-law) and his students. The studio designed and constructed

altarpiece An altarpiece is a painting or sculpture, including relief, of religious subject matter made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting or sculpture, ...

s, sculpted and

polychrome Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery, or sculpture in multiple colors. When looking at artworks and ...

d, undertaking projects in places as far-flung as

Cádiz Cádiz ( , , ) is a city in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...

Jerez de la Frontera Jerez de la Frontera () or simply Jerez, also cited in old English-language sources as , is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Sp ...

Córdoba Córdoba most commonly refers to: * Córdoba, Spain, a major city in southern Spain and formerly the imperial capital of Islamic Spain * Córdoba, Argentina, the second largest city in Argentina and the capital of Córdoba Province Córdoba or Cord ...

and Jaén. He died in 1699, and was buried in the crypt of Saint Mark's Church (Iglesia de San Marcos) in Seville. Besides Murillo, he was also closely connected to

Juan de Valdés Leal Juan de Valdés Leal (4 May 1622 – 15 October 1690) was a Spanish painter and etcher of the Baroque era. Career Valdés was born in Seville in 1622. He became a painter, sculptor, and architect. By his twenties, he was studying under Anton ...

Descendants

With his wife Teresa de Jesús Ortega y Villavicencio, Roldán had eight children, all of whom worked closely with him in his studio. * María Roldán (born 1644), his oldest daughter, died young. * Teodora Manuela (1646) died young * Pedro Mauricio (1647) died young * Francisca Roldán, (born 1650), was in charge of painting the faces and hands of the sculptures (giving them the natural colors of flesh),Roldán, Luisa (La Roldana)
www.artesacro.org. Retrieved 30 April 2010. and married sculptor José Felipe Duque Cornejo. Their son

Pedro Duque y Cornejo Pedro Duque y Cornejo (1677–1757) was a Spanish Baroque painter and sculptor of the Sevillian school of sculpture, a disciple of his grandfather Pedro Roldán. He was born in Seville and worked mostly in his home city (church of the Sagrario ...

also became a sculptor, master of the 18th century Sevillian Baroque. * Luisa Roldán (born 1652), known as ''La Roldana'', became one of the major sculptors of the Andalusian Baroque; she married the sculptor Luis Antonio de los Arcos. * Maria Roldan (born 1654) worked as a sculptor and married the sculptor Matías de Brunenque. * Isabel Roldán (born 1657),

goddaughter Within Christianity, a godparent or sponsor is someone who bears witness to a child's baptism (christening) and later is willing to help in their catechesis, as well as their lifelong spiritual formation. In both religious and civil views, ...

married Alejandro Martagón, a collaborator in Roldán's studio. * Teresa Roldán (born 1660) married twice, to Manuel Caballero and to Pedro de Castillejos. * Marcelino José (born 1662) became director of the studio on Roldán's death. * Ana Marcela (born 1662) married twice. * Pedro de Santa María (born 1665) was also a sculptor, but with little success in his own right.

Style

Initially taught a naturalistic style, his imagery evolved in the direction of the Baroque, with a personal style as elegant as it was free in its form.

Most noted works

* Our Father Jesus Tied to the Column (''Nuestro Padre Jesús Amarrado a la Columna''), 1675, Parish Church of the Apostle James (''Parroquia de Santiago Apóstol''),

Lucena Lucena (, American Spanish: , European Spanish: ), officially known as the City of Lucena (), is a highly urbanized city situated in the Calabarzon region (Region IV-A) of the Philippines. The city is the largest urban center and capital of ...

* Most Holy Christ Tied to the Column (''Santísimo Cristo amarrado a la Columna''), Church of Saint John the Baptist (''Iglesia de San Juan Bautista'')

La Orotava La Orotava is a town and a municipality in the northern part of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands of Spain. The area of the municipality stretches from the north coast to the mountainous interior, and includes the summit of the Teide volcano, ...

Tenerife Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of A ...

. * Sculptural part of the altarpiece of Saint Ann's Church (''Iglesia de Santa Ana''),

Montilla Montilla () is a town and municipality of Spain, located in the autonomous community of Andalusia. , the town had a population of 23,209, which makes it the fourth most populated municipality of the Province of Córdoba. It lies 32 miles south o ...

* Altarpiece of the Descent of the

Biscay Biscay ( ; ; ), is a province of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the Bay of Biscay, eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilb ...

ans (''El descendimiento de las Vizcaínas'', Church of the Sanctuary (Iglesia del Sagrario), Seville. * Altarpiece of the

Entombment of Christ The burial of Jesus refers to the entombment of the body of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus after his crucifixion before the erev Shabbat, eve of the sabbath. This event is described in the New Testament. According to the Gospels, canonical gospel ...

Saint George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...

Saint Roch Roch (lived c. 1348 – 15/16 August 1376/79; traditionally c. 1295 – 16 August 1327), also called Rock in English, was a Majorcan Catholic confessor whose death is commemorated on 16 August and 9 September in Italy; he was especially invo ...

, and the Virgin of Charity (''Entierro de Cristo, San Jorge, San Roque y Virgen de la Caridad'', Hospital de la Caridad, Seville. * Sculptures of the

Four Evangelists In Christian tradition, the Four Evangelists are Matthew the Apostle, Matthew, Mark the Evangelist, Mark, Luke the Evangelist, Luke, and John the Evangelist, John, the authors attributed with the creation of the four canonical Gospel accounts ...

, the

Four Doctors of the Church Doctor of the Church (Latin: ''doctor'' "teacher"), also referred to as Doctor of the Universal Church (Latin: ''Doctor Ecclesiae Universalis''), is a title given by the Catholic Church to saints recognized as having made a significant contribut ...

and Saint Ferdinand for the façade of the

Cathedral of Jaén A cathedral is a church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations with an episcop ...

. * Most Holy Christ of the Expiration (''Santísimo cristo de la Expiración'') in the Parish Church of Saint James (Iglesia de Santiago),

Écija Écija () is a city and municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is in the countryside, 85 km east of the city of Seville. According to the 2008 census, Écija had a total popula ...

Other attributed works

* Our Lady of Antigua (''Nuestra Señora de la Antigua''), 1650–1655, Church of Saint Mary Magdalene (Iglesia de Santa María Magdalena), Seville. * Santísimo Cristo de las Misericordias. Hermandad de Santa Cruz de Sevilla. The anonymous Christ is dated to 1670–1682 and is attributed to Pedro Roldán or his school. * The

Virgin of Hope of Macarena Mary Most Holy of Hope Macarena (), popularly known as the Virgin of Macarena or simply La Macarena, is a Roman Catholic title of the Veneration of Mary in the Catholic Church, Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a pious 17th century wooden imag ...

, crowned by

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII (born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...

in 1964.

Gallery

File:Altar mayor 002.jpg, ''Entombment of Christ'', Hospital de la Caridad, Seville. File:Virgen de la Caridad 001.jpg, ''Virgin of Charity'' (''Virgen de la Caridad''), Hospital de la Caridad. File:San Roque 001.jpg, ''Saint Roch'', Hospital de la Caridad. File:Capilla Santa Ana-Iglesia de Santa Cruz.jpg, ''Saint Ann teaching the Virgin to read'', Iglesia de Santa Cruz, Seville.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roldan, Pedro 1624 births 1699 deaths People from Seville Spanish Baroque sculptors 17th-century Spanish sculptors Spanish male sculptors Catholic sculptors