La Roldana, the first sculptor of the Spanish Court and a woman who broke the mold in the 17th century

There are places where gender parity is met, even more than that. This is the case of the story at hand. One day before the celebration of International Women’s Day, the protagonist is a Sevillian sculptress, Luisa Roldán, known as La Roldana (Seville, 1652-Madrid, 1704). She was a pioneer and key figure of the Baroque, she broke the mold in her time and managed to be named in 1692 the first woman sculptor of the Spanish Court with Carlos II and continues with Felipe V. She obtained this distinction thanks to her masterpiece ‘The Archangel Saint Michael defeating the devil’, from the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, one of the 650 works in the permanent exhibition of the new museum. The piece has been restored by Ana Loureiro in the workshops of the Royal Palace of Madrid. The monumental piece, made of cedar wood, 2.64 meters high and 157.5 kilos in weight, is already on floor A, in the place it will occupy in the Royal Collections Gallery, directed by Leticia Ruiz. It is the brand new National Heritage museum, chaired by Ana de la Cueva, which will open its doors this summer. In the shackles that surround the wrists of the devil, La Roldana left evidence of the place and the date on which his national heritage masterpiece was finished The appointment of La Roldana as sculptor of the Court was a historic triumph at a time when women could not not even sign contracts. In this case, her husband, Luis Antonio de los Arcos, did it. There are those who believe that the figure of San Miguel -with feminine features- is a representation of the artist herself and that she could have been inspired by her husband for the face of the devil. Whether true or not, the artist did make sure to claim her authorship, leaving her imprint on the piece: she stamped her signature on one of the Archangel’s feet and on the base of the work. Details of the inscriptions that La Roldana included on the Archangel’s sandals and on the sole, claiming her authorship and that of those who took part in the piece National Heritage The restoration work has brought to light the inscriptions that the artist distributed around the carving. Thus, on the left foot of San Miguel appears “E. Camera Lvisa Roldan Sevilla », which alludes to the birthplace of La Roldana and her status at Court: camera sculptor. On the right foot, you can read: “Sculptor Lvis Antonio de L”, a reference to Luis Antonio de los Arcos, the artist’s husband, who was in charge of roughing the wood. On the sole of the shoe there is a reference to Tomás de los Arcos, her brother-in-law, a painter and polychromer: “Tomas de los Arcos painted it.” Image of the restoration process of the masterpiece of La Roldana National Heritage The Archangel’s chest is painted with the Hebrew motto of Saint Michael: “Qvis Sicvt Devs”, which usually appears in representations of the saint defeating the devil. In addition, in the shackles that surround the demon’s wrists, she left evidence of the place and the date on which she finished her masterpiece: “In Madrid, 1962, May 19.” And on her base he recorded her appointment as chamber sculptor: «By mandate of Rei Nvestro Señor Carlos II Lvisa Roldan Sv Majestad Chamber Sculptor». Although the phrase was included by the artist, some of the lyrics were later engraved with a punch. The very day of her death in 1706 she was recognized by the Academy of San Luca in Rome. If she was a pioneer professionally, she was also a personal one: this determined, brave and rebellious woman was ahead of her time, as she managed to marry whomever she chose, costing her the breakup of her relationship with her father, the sculptor Pedro Roldán, who was opposed to that marriage. He was her teacher, he had a workshop in Seville. On the Archangel’s chest the Hebrew motto of Saint Michael appears painted: “Qvis Sicvt Devs” National Heritage Loureiro explains to ABC that it has taken about two years to restore the piece: “It had many cracks, some of them quite considerable. And the dirt hid the true colors, much more vivid ». The overpaintings, located especially on the face and hands, have been eliminated “to restore the piece to its expressiveness, one of the hallmarks of La Roldana”. “X-rays showed that the demon’s horns were not original, so I removed them and reconstructed them, based on old photographs,” explains the restorer. «They were very long and made the demon’s face very ugly. This one is kinder, less animalized. His nose and mouth were also broken, and his teeth were missing. It was the most damaged piece. The Archangel was in pretty good shape. The finish of the sword had also been lost, it was seen in three pieces ». In the x-ray of the piece, many nails can be seen, which surprisingly have not oxidized. The restorer explains that they are original: «The construction technique used is called ’embon’: pieces of wood are placed over a central hole, which were glued or nailed. The piece is made up of different blocks. But it has a lot of nails, too many. I was not able to count them. It’s spectacular to see the X-ray.” There is no record of a previous restoration, but Ana Loureiro is certain due to the repainting and the added areas: »They are restorations from the 20th century due to the material they have used«. As for the cedar wood, very fragrant, it repels insects. It is not attacked by xylophages, he kept it in a good state of conservation. On the pedestal she registered her appointment as National Heritage chamber sculptor On the importance of this sculpture, she comments that “it is a very large piece, very balanced, with a lot of movement. To do this, in some areas the artist uses glued canvas. That grandeur. the movement, even the colors that are not typical of the time… This piece was ahead of her time ». “La Roldana was well known in her time,” says Loureiro, who believes that she “even surpassed her father. The first to speak highly of her was Palomino; he put her on a par with her father as a great sculptor. Ceán Bermúdez also talks about the wonder of her work ». Today she has work in such outstanding collections as the Metropolitan Museum and the Hispanic Society in New York, the Getty Museum in Los Angeles or the Victoria & Albert in London. In some cases, they are polychrome terracotta sculptures. MORE INFORMATION noticia No Cultura acquires a unique tapestry from the 16th century for one million euros noticia Yes The Gallery of Royal Collections reveals one of its mysteries: the first works that will receive visitors noticia Yes Emilio Tuñón: «The first sketch of the Museum of The Royal Collections is dated 1999» The complex transfer of ‘The Archangel Saint Michael defeating the devil’ to the Royal Collections Gallery involved the intervention of around twenty people. After its restoration in the workshops of the Royal Palace, the carving was hoisted with the help of a crane through the Patio del Príncipe. The sculpture was protected in a wooden cage with frames and reinforcements to strengthen its support. «This is one of the most complicated transfers that we have faced, due to the dimensions of the size; also one of the most exciting, seeing the Archangel Saint Michael make his last flight in the Palace to go to the Gallery, where all visitors will be able to discover the talent of Luisa Roldán”, explains Leticia Ruiz, director of the Royal Collections. «She was a pioneering figure in a time when women had no recognition. Now, thanks to the Gallery, we give her back the shine she deserves ». She highlights the artist’s technical virtuosity and her expressiveness through her faces and hands.