The Virgin and Child with St. Diego of Alcalá thumbnail 1
The Virgin and Child with St. Diego of Alcalá thumbnail 2
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images
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

The Virgin and Child with St. Diego of Alcalá

Statue
ca. 1690-1695 (made)
Artist/Maker
Roldán, Luisa (maker)
Place of origin
Madrid (city) (made)

The scene depicted shows the Franciscan saint, St Diego of Alcalá, being presented with a cross by the Virgin and Child, accompanied by two angels, and seated on clouds with cherubim. According to the legend of the saint, he gave bread from his convent to the poor. When he was accused by a fellow monk of stealing the convent's bread his robes were searched, and the bread miraculously transformed into roses. The rose petals can be seen in his robes here. This painted terracotta group is typical of the work of the Spanish sculptor Luisa Roldán, also known as La Roldana. She was the daughter of the sculptor Pedro Roldán, and probably trained with him in Seville, before moving to Cadiz, and then in about 1688 to work at the Court in Madrid. Her husband, Luis Antonio de Arcos, painted her polychromed sculptures. Roldán also carved full-size figures in wood, such as the St Ginés now in the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.

Object details

Categories
Sculpture
Christianity
Religion
Object type
Statue
TitleThe Virgin and Child with St. Diego of Alcalá (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Painted terracotta on painted and gilt wood base
Terracotta
Wood
Painting
Gilding
Brief description
Group, painted terracotta, The Virgin and Child and St Diego of Alcalá, by Luisa Roldán, Madrid, ca.1690-95
Physical description
Painted terracotta statue on a painted and gilt wood base depicting the The Virgin and Child with St Diego of Alcalá. The Franciscan saint kneels on the right and presents the cross held in his hands. An Angel to the right supports the arms of the cross. An angel at the left kneels with arms crossed on her chest. The Virgin and Child sit on a cloud with cherubim.
Dimensions
  • With base height: 530mm
  • With base width: 665mm
  • With base depth: 395mm
Measured by Conservation, 2012. Dimensions previously given as: With base: Height 51cm x Width 66cm x Depth 41.5cm Without base: Height 36cm x Width 54.5cm x Depth 31.5cm
Gallery label
(09.12.2015)
The Virgin and Child with St Diego of Alcalá
1690–95

The Virgin holds the Christ Child as he presents a cross to the Franciscan friar Diego de Alcalá. The friar was accused of stealing bread from his convent to give to the poor, but when he was searched the hidden bread is said to have miraculously turned into roses. Exceptionally for a woman at this time, the sculptor set up her own workshop and in 1692 became court sculptor to the Spanish king.

Spain (Madrid)

Sculpted by Luisa Roldán (‘La Roldana’)

Painted terracotta; painted and gilded wood base
(1993 - 2011)
THE VIRGIN AND THE CHRIST CHLD WITH SAINT DIEGO OF ALCALA
Spanish (Madrid); about 1690-1695
Painted terracotta on a painted and gilt-wood base
By Luisa Roldán (1652-1706)

The Virgin and Child are shown presenting a cross to St Diego Alcalá, a Franciscan saint, one of whose miracles occurred when he was accused by a fellow monk of stealing bread to give to the poor. When his robes were searched the hidden bread miraculously turned into roses. Rose petal can be seen here in the folds of his habit.

Luisa Roldán, or La Roldana, was trained in a sculptor in wood and terracotta by her father the Seville sculptor Pedro Roldán (1624-1699). Exceptionally for a woman at that time she set up her own workshop, initially at Cadiz, and from 1688 onwards in Madrid. Here she petitioned the king, Charles II, for the post of Court Sculptor (escultor de Cámara), which was eventually granted in 1692. Roldán specialised in polychromed terracotta groups, and although this piece is unsigned, it is typical of her work.
Object history
Bought by John Charles Robinson from Soriano, Madrid, for £5 11s. 7d. (530 reals) in 1864.
Historical context
The subject is frequently called 'Portiuncula', referring to a legend of St. Francis commemorated in Franciscan monasteries. It frequently occurs in Spanish sculpture.
Subjects depicted
Cross
Tree
Angel
Cherubim
Jesus
Mary (Virgin Mary)
Virgin and Child
St. Diego of Alcala
Summary
The scene depicted shows the Franciscan saint, St Diego of Alcalá, being presented with a cross by the Virgin and Child, accompanied by two angels, and seated on clouds with cherubim. According to the legend of the saint, he gave bread from his convent to the poor. When he was accused by a fellow monk of stealing the convent's bread his robes were searched, and the bread miraculously transformed into roses. The rose petals can be seen in his robes here. This painted terracotta group is typical of the work of the Spanish sculptor Luisa Roldán, also known as La Roldana. She was the daughter of the sculptor Pedro Roldán, and probably trained with him in Seville, before moving to Cadiz, and then in about 1688 to work at the Court in Madrid. Her husband, Luis Antonio de Arcos, painted her polychromed sculptures. Roldán also carved full-size figures in wood, such as the St Ginés now in the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.

Bibliographic references
  • Trusted, Marjorie. Spanish Sculpture. London : Victoria and Albert Museum, 1996. 172 p., ill. ISBN 1851771778.
  • Inventory of Art Objects Acquired in the Year 1864 In: Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, Arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol I. London: Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868, p. 37
  • Riaño, Juan F. Classified and descriptive catalogue of the art objects of Spanish production in the South Kensington Museum. "(First edition)" London : Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1872, p.1
  • Gómez Moreno, María Elena. Ars Hispaniae, vol 16 (Escultura del siglo XVII), 1963, p. 311, and vol 17 (Escultura del siglo XVIII), 1965, p. 46
  • Baker, M. 'Spain and South Kensington. John harles Robinson and the Collecting of Spanish Sculpture in the 1860s'. In: V&A Album, III, 1984, fig. 8, p. 347
  • Williamson, Paul (ed), European Sculpture at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Victoria & Albert Museum, 1996, p. 143
  • Flynn, T. The Body in Three Dimensions, New York, 1998, p. 85, fig. 56
  • Romero Torres, J.L.. 'Los escultores andaluces y el sueño de la cort', in: Actas del III congreso de historia de Andalucía, Córdoba, 2001, (published 2002), pp. 293-5 (Luisa Roldán) and note 36 on p. 293 - bibliography
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
250-1864

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Record createdNovember 20, 2002
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O70458/the-virgin-and-child-with-statue-roldán-luisa/
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