The Startling Realism of a 17th-Century Sculpture

Have you ever wanted to get really close to a work of art?

A detailed view of the veins and skin texture carved into the back of a statue's hands

Saint Ginés de la Jara (detail), about 1692, Luisa Roldán. Polychromed wood (pine and cedar) with glass eyes, 69 1/4 × 36 3/16 × 29 1/8 in. Getty Museum, 85.SD.161

By Meg Butler

Aug 20, 2024

Social Sharing

Body Content

His name is Saint Ginés de la Jara. He’s a six-foot-tall likeness of his namesake (more on him later), rendered in hyperrealistic detail.

How did his 17th-century artists accomplish this level of realism roughly 300 years ago? Let’s take a closer look.

A lifelike statue of an old man with a beard in a gold robe

Saint Ginés de la Jara, about 1692, Luisa Roldán. Polychromed wood (pine and cedar) with glass eyes, 69 1/4 × 36 3/16 × 29 1/8 in. Getty Museum, 85.SD.161

The first thing to know about this sculpture is that realism was the point.

Saint Ginés de La Jara is carved in a style called Spanish Baroque. His life size and heightened realism were designed to strike an emotional chord and bring his well-known story to life for his audience in a time before movies, TV, or even photography.

He’s depicted with his mouth open and left hand mid-gesture as if he was frozen in time while giving a sermon.

A close-up view of the face of the statue Saint Ginés de la Jara

His wrinkled brow and earnest expression were sculpted, as was the rest of the figure, by Luisa Roldán, one of the most celebrated and prolific sculptors of the 1600s.

But, Roldán was not always credited as this sculpture’s artist. Listen below to hear the fascinating story of Getty art historian Maite Alvarez’s journey to Spain to set the record straight.



A close view of the eyes of a statue's face

However, Roldán is not the only artist involved in creating this statue. Look closely at his eyes. This bit of realism comes via glass prosthetics—likely imported from Venice, Italy where most were produced in the 1600s.

A detail of a statue's outstretched hand against a black background

Likewise, while Roldán's delicate sculpting give the hands the suggestion of raised veins and bones beneath the skin, they were painted by another artist: her brother-in-law Tomás de los Arcos.

De los Arcos created realistic flesh tones using oil paints tinted with lead white, indigo, cochineal powder, and charcoal applied in a layering technique called Encarnaciones.

A photograph of the hollow, wooden interior of a statue

Together, Arcos and Roldán created a figure so lifelike it’s almost surprising, even for modern audiences, to discover that the sculpture is, in fact, made out of wood.

Take a look at this view of the interior of the sculpture. Various cuts of wood—pine and cedar—are bound together using flat joints to create a three-dimensional structure.

An x-ray of a life-size statue of a man with his arms outstretched

His head and other extremities were carved separately and attached with nails and wooden dowels, visible here in this x-rays taken when Saint Ginés de la Jara charmed viewers during a 2009 Getty exhibition.

An image of the realistic feet of the statue Saint Ginés de la Jara

His 17th-century visitors were more intimately familiar with the legend of Saint Ginés de la Jara represented in details like his bare, worn feet.

Once a French nobleman, de la Jara renounced his wealth and title when, so the legend goes, he was saved from drowning by a miracle. In gratitude, he spent the next 25 years penniless (and presumably shoeless), doing penitence on his knees in a makeshift shelter built by angels.

A close shot of what looks like black and gold brocade fabric but is actually carved and painted wood

The miracle that saved him from shipwreck? His garment turned into a boat and ferried him to shore. Perhaps a garment like the one his likeness wears.

De los Arcos created this illusion of miraculously rich black fabric and gold brocade using the Spanish technique called estofado. First, he covered the carved “garment” in gold leaf, painted over it with brown tempera paint, then used specialized tools to reveal the gold underneath.

A back view of a statue of a man in a black and gold ecclesiastical gown.

And, with that intricate 17th-century technique in mind, take a look at the back of the robe. It’s a view that you might forget to appreciate in the gallery. But, as for any statue, always walk around to check the other view points.

A close image of the signature on the back of a statue's black and gold robe. The text reads: "GINES DE LAXARA"

That way you won’t miss details like Saint Ginés de la Jara's name, featured at the bottom of his robe.

To see or download other views of Saint Ginés de la Jara, visit his online collection page.

To get as close as you like to other works of art at Getty, use the search engine here to visit our digital Museum Collection.

Luisa Roldán

$40

Learn more about this publication
Luisa Roldán book cover
Back to Top

Stay Connected

  1. Get Inspired

    A young man and woman chat about a painting they are looking at in a gallery at the J. Paul Getty Museum.

    Enjoy stories about art, and news about Getty exhibitions and events, with our free e-newsletter

  2. For Journalists

    A scientist in a lab coat inspects several clear plastic samples arrayed in front of her on a table.

    Find press contacts, images, and information for the news media