Early Life and Artistic Training The year is 1666 in Jaén, Spain, when José Ignacio Cobo y Guzmán enters the world. He grows up in a landscape shaped by the Spanish Baroque, a period defined by dramatic tension and intense religious devotion. His early years in Jaén set the stage for a career dedicated to the service of the Church, though the exact nature of his formative years remains a subject of historical debate. Training begins u…