In a richly brocaded robe, with rosy cheeks, shining eyes, and outstretched arms, Saint Ginés de la Jara appeals to the faithful standing before him. His gestures and open mouth suggest that he is preaching. According to legend, after Saint Ginés was decapitated in southern France, he picked up his head and tossed it into the Rhône River. Carried by the sea to the coast of southeastern Spain, it was retrieved and conserved as a relic. See detail and technical views of this Spanish polychrome sculpture in the Getty Museum's collection.

Luisa Roldán (Spanish, 1652–1706) was one of the most celebrated and prolific sculptors of the 1600s. Affectionately known as La Roldana, she catapulted to fame at the Spanish royal court in an otherwise male-dominated profession. Taking her sculpture Saint Ginés de La Jara as a focal point, this exhibition explores La Roldana's life as well as the multifaceted techniques involved in the sculpture's creation.

Estofado is a decorative technique of scratching through a paint layer to reveal another layer of contrasting color or material below. Take a look at the steps used to create the rich decoration on the gown of Saint Ginés de la Jara.

Encarnaciones is a technique for painting flesh tones that is closely related to the oil painting technique used by artists working on canvas, such as Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. View a detailed list of the steps taken to apply encarnaciones layers after the estafado work was completed on the garments of Saint Ginés de La Jara.

As court sculptor and the first woman sculptor recorded in Spain, Luisa Roldán reached the top of her profession. Her father was a sculptor in Seville, and Luisa and her siblings worked in the family workshop. Image: Presumed Portrait of Luisa Roldán, Antonio Rotondo, 1862. Research Library, The Getty Research Institute, 88-B6694 Read her biography.