Enfilade

Luisa Roldán, The Rest on the Flight into Egypt, 1691, polychrome terracotta and wood
(Madrid: Museo Nacional del Prado)

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From the press release (18 December 2025) . . .

The Museo del Prado has taken an important step in reshaping the story of Spanish Baroque art with the acquisition of The Rest on the Flight into Egypt by Luisa Roldán, known as La Roldana. Signed and dated 1691, the sculpture marks the first time one of Roldán’s works enters the Prado’s collection—despite her name having long appeared on the museum’s façade alongside Spain’s great masters.

Luisa Roldán (1652–1706) was a remarkable figure in her time: the first woman to be appointed sculptor to the Spanish court, serving under both Charles II and Philip V. Yet, like many women artists of her era, her work has remained underrepresented in major museum collections. This newly acquired sculpture helps to correct that absence and brings her artistry into direct dialogue with the Prado’s holdings of Baroque painting and sculpture.

The work, made of polychrome terracotta and wood, depicts the Holy Family pausing to rest during their flight into Egypt. At first glance, the scene feels intimate and serene, but a closer look reveals Roldán’s extraordinary technical skill. The modeling is delicate and expressive, the gestures natural and carefully observed. The polychromy—exceptionally well preserved—adds warmth and immediacy, while details such as the tree framing the composition give the scene a quiet narrative depth.

The sculpture comes from the renowned Güell collection, long considered a reference point for Spanish sculpture, and was recently acquired at an Abalarte auction for €275,000. Purchased by Spain’s Ministry of Culture and assigned to the Prado, the piece now joins a collection that includes major devotional works by artists such as Gregorio Fernández, Pedro de Mena, Juan de Mesa, and Luis Salvador Carmona. Its arrival strengthens the Prado’s exploration of the relationship between sculpture and painting in Baroque Spain; Roldán’s work resonates with contemporaries such as Luca Giordano, whose paintings are already represented in the museum, highlighting shared interests in movement, emotion, and theatricality across artistic media.

Beyond its artistic importance, the acquisition carries symbolic weight. By welcoming Roldán’s sculpture into its galleries, the Museo del Prado publicly acknowledges the central role women artists played in shaping Spain’s artistic heritage. It is not simply a matter of adding one work to the collection, but of expanding the narrative of art history to better reflect its true complexity. With The Rest on the Flight into Egypt, Luisa Roldan finally takes her place inside the Prado—not just in name, but in substance—offering visitors a fuller, richer view of the Spanish Baroque and the artists who defined it.