| Abstract: | SUMMARIES. A seventeenth-century sculpture of St Gines de la Jura by Louisa Roldan was technically examined and compared with Francisco Pacheco's seventeenth-century treatise 'Arte de la Pin I lira'. The sculpture was found to follow closely but not exactly the recommended practice of polychrome sculpture manufacture. The individual artist's practice was revealed after analysis by cross-section, polarized light microscopy (PLM), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDS) and gas chromatography-mass speetrometry (GC-MS).
CONCLUSION. Pacheco made many suggestions as to the best way to create sculptures and paintings according to his understanding of the materials involved. His writings were influential and provide a good starting point for understanding seventeenth-century painting and polychromy. As is the case with paintings, we were able to identify numerous differences and variations between the idealized treatise and the actual working practice of a highly respected and recognized sculptor of a similar period. Small differences between treatise and sculpture were observed in almost every stage, starting with the number of layers of yeso and bole, to inclusions in the bole, through the painting process, to the varnish. Whether or not Pacheco's suggestions were followed by La Roldana in the manufacture of the sculpture of St Gines, it appears that the treatise and the sculpture follow the same broad methods. The numerous and small differences show that working methods in Spain at that time were not uniform. It may be that the better artists were the ones who departed from convention and experimented with materials and techniques. |
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