Pedro Roldán


Pedro Roldán was a Baroque sculptor from Seville, 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, because his family was from there and his older brother Marcos was born there, or alternatively that he could have been born in Orce, where his family lived for a time when Pedro was a child
At the age of fourteen, he moved to Granada 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 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. In his last years, he established a large studio where he collaborated with members of his family and his students. The studio designed and constructed altarpieces, sculpted and polychromed, undertaking projects in places as far-flung as Cádiz, Jerez de la Frontera, Córdoba and Jaén. He died in 1699, and was buried in the crypt of Saint Mark's Church in Seville.
Besides Murillo, he was also closely connected to Juan de Valdés Leal.

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, his oldest daughter, died young.
  • Teodora Manuela died young
  • Pedro Mauricio died young
  • Francisca Roldán,, was in charge of painting the faces and hands of the sculptures, and married sculptor José Felipe Duque Cornejo. Their son Pedro Duque y Cornejo also became a sculptor, master of the 18th century Sevillian Baroque.
  • Luisa Roldán, 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 worked as a sculptor and married the sculptor Matías de Brunenque.
  • Isabel Roldán, goddaughter of Juan de Valdés Leal married Alejandro Martagón, a collaborator in Roldán's studio.
  • Teresa Roldán married twice, to Manuel Caballero and to Pedro de Castillejos.
  • Marcelino José became director of the studio on Roldán's death.
  • Ana Marcela married twice.
  • Pedro de Santa María 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

Other documented works

Other attributed works