Active in: Spain
Alternate names: La Roldana

Biography

Luisa Roldán was one of eight children born to the sculptor Pedro Roldán (ca. 1624–ca. 1700), and his wife, Teresa de Jesús Ortega y Villavicencio, who he married in 1642. By the time Roldán was born, her father had become one of Seville’s most renowned sculptors. Unable to attend the Academia de Bellas Artes, where her father was a professor of sculpture, Roldán studied with him privately, as did her siblings Francisca (b. 1650), Maria (b. 1654), Isabel (b. 1657), Teresa (b. 1660), Ana Marcela (b. 1662), Marcelino (b. 1662) and Pedro (b. 1665). As his children became proficient, Pedro Roldán engaged them in his growing workshop. The collaborative nature of carving and painting large wood sculptures to create the complex, often multipaneled altarpieces (retablos) favored in Spain required studio assistants to specialize. Roldán’s specialty is not known, but she became the most celebrated of the Roldán family of sculptors, fully conversant with all the aspects of carving wood, preparing it for color, and the collaborative nature of a workshop. There is no evidence that her father’s workshop ever produced terracotta figures, something that Roldán is credited with developing on her own.

In 1671, Roldán married Luis Antonio Navarro de los Arcos, her father’s pupil, despite her parents’ objections. Together they had seven children, but just two survived into adulthood.  After her marriage Roldán established an independent studio, collaborating with her husband – she completed the carving while he undertook the painting. Their collaboration included commissions from various confraternities in Seville for the traditional Holy Week float. These floats included groups of life sized carved and polychromed wooden figures depicting the stages of Christ’s Passion. De los Arcos signed these works, while Roldán rarely added her signature.

Between 1684 and 1687, Roldán spent considerable time in Cádiz, receiving commission from the cathedral for several large wooden polychrome sculptures, including various angels, prophets, and virtues. The town council of Cádiz also commissioned Roldán to create polychrome wood sculptures of the town’s patron saints Servandus and Cermanus. Her various representations of Christ and other related male biblical characters established her as one of the few female artists of this time who created images of nude or semi-nude male figures.

Hoping to secure an appointment as court sculptor, Roldán and her family left Cádiz in 1688 or 1689 and settled in Madrid. There, she continued to work on large scale wooden sculptures, while also developing her small scale, polychrome terracotta figures. Less expensive to make, easily replicated from a mold, and more affordable for buyers, Roldán’s new work represented a response to the different attitude towards sculptors in Madrid. Unlike in Seville or Cádiz, makers of large-scale polychromed wooden sculptures in Madrid were regarded as craftsmen instead of fine artists. Roldán’s smaller works, with their delicacy and intimacy, were judged by different standards. By virtue of their smaller size, these terracottas were entirely distinct from the large workshop-produced retablos. Given Roldán’s role in pioneering such works, they must have become a welcome novelty and were eagerly collected by numerous patrons who lived in Madrid. Given the number of Roldán’s terracotta works that survive, they were likely treasured as private devotional objects.

By 1692 King Charles II (1661–1700) recognized Roldán’s accomplishments, appointing her as a court sculptor with the title Escultora de Cámara in that year. Roldán began to sign her works with this title, but the position was far from lucrative. Roldán had to campaign to be granted a salary and then had difficulty collecting from her patrons at court. King Charles II died on November 1, 1700, and was succeeded by King Philip V (1683–1746). Having made a special presentation to the new king, Roldán’s position as a court sculptor was renewed and she was awarded the title Escultora de su Majestad. King Philip V proved to be less enthusiastic patron of the arts and he is not known to have undertaken any major commissions during his reign. Roldán was destitute at her death in Madrid on January 10, 1706. Her legacy was secured by 1724, when the painter Antonio Palomino (1655–1726) wrote about her in his treatise El parnaso español pintoresco laureado – of the 226 artists described, she was one of just two women and Palomino described her work with unqualified appreciation and praise.

Selected Works