The mayor of Chiclana, José María Román, and the delegate of Culture, Susana Rivas, have presented the 'San Juan Bautista' by Roque Balduque, a sculptural work of mid-sixteenth century, which was part of the first Major Church and now the City of Chiclana has been acquired to increase the cultural heritage of the city. During the presentation, which has also been the director of the Museum of Chiclana, Jesus Romero, Chiclana alderman stressed that "today we can see provisionally in this location of the Museum of the City this sculpture of the original altarpiece of the original church of San Juan Bautista, which was demolished and replaced by the current parish ".
"We must remember that this sculpture of Roque Balduque was sold and went abroad, but we were fortunate to learn, through Germán Reyes, that it was to be auctioned the prestigious Sothesby of London," recalled José María Román, who added that "we asked the Chiclana Domingo Galán to buy it, and then the City Council proceed to its acquisition, so it is already public ownership." "Although it will now be exhibited in the Museum, we are waiting for the pastor of the main church, Father David, to launch a beautiful project in the same, where we will contribute with this sculpture," he said.
Also, the ruler has highlighted the municipal effort so that it can continue to grow the historical heritage of the city. "We have bought the house attached to the Museum for expansion, as happens with another property next to the Phoenician center, but also has made the replica of the fountain of the Palace of the Count of the Five Towers in the Plaza Paquiro," said José María Román, who recalled the various tourist routes to value the history and culture of Chiclana. "Invite citizens to come to the Museum to visit the permanent exhibition and temporary exhibitions, as well as this 'San Juan Bautista' of the sixteenth century," he concluded.
It should be noted that the 'San Juan Bautista' by Roque Balduque is a wood carving (stuccoed, polychromed and gilded) with a full body, although not life-size, but somewhat smaller. It is not a rounded bulk, which makes it clear that it was conceived for its insertion in the altarpiece of the primitive church of San Juan Bautista de Chiclana.
Roque Balduque (1500-1561), was a sculptor and retablist of Flemish origin born in a place that in Spanish was known as Bolduque, but his name was Bois-le-Duc, in the current Netherlands. Among other works, he worked on the altarpiece of the original church of San Juan Bautista in our town.
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