Luisa Roldán is the earliest documented woman sculptor in Spain recognized as one of the few to have maintained a small studio outside the convents in Golden Age Spain.

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She was remarkable both for the fact that she was an artist that ended up working in the Royal Court of late 17^th and early 18^th century Madrid as sculptor to two kings (Escultora de cámara), but also for her development of the genre of small, jewel-like, polychrome terracotta sculptures (alaxas de escultura), for which she was celebrated. There are only a handful of such known terracottas in private and public collections - though with progress in scholarship more will hopefully be identified - so the rediscovery of this intimate Virgen de Belén (Virgin of Bethlehem), which retains much of its original polychromy, is a rare and exciting event.

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The burgeoning interest in Roldan’s works - both for their high sculptural quality, but also for what they tell us about her unique difficulties in achieving recognition as a sculptor during her lifetime - has resulted in significant research being carried out as well as museological interest in representing her works. Indeed, Luisa Roldán is presently the subject of a monographic exhibition  in Valladolid, Spain - the catalogue for which includes the present group  as an autograph work - and with further shows scheduled in on the international stage in 2028.