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Gabriël Grupello (also Gabriël de Grupello or Gabriël Reppeli; 22 May 1644 – 20 June 1730) was a Flemish
in: Nationaal Biografisch Woordenboek, Volume 6, p. 392–404, Brussel, Paleis der Akademiën, 1964 His father, who died at a young age, was a member of the higher non-aristocratic class of society. Grupello later styled himself as Chevalier de Grupello, but a noble ancestry has not been demonstrated.
At age 14, he started a five-year training as a sculptor in the Antwerp workshop of leading Baroque sculptor Artus Quellinus the Elder.Kai Budde. "Grupello, Gabriel."
Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 6 June 2021 After studying in Italy where he had worked in the workshop of his compatriot François Duquesnoy, Quellinus had returned to Antwerp in 1640. He had brought with him a new vision of the role of the sculptor. The sculptor was no longer to be an ornamentalist but a creator of a total artwork in which architectural components were replaced by sculptures. He saw the church furniture that he was commissioned to make as an occasion for creating large-scale compositions, incorporated into the church interior.Helena Bussers, ''De baroksculptuur en het barok''
at Openbaar Kunstbezit Vlaanderen From 1650 onwards, Quellinus worked for fifteen years on the new
Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
sculptor who produced religious and mythological sculptures, portraits and public sculptures. He worked in Flanders, France and Germany. He was a virtuoso sculptor who enjoyed the patronage of several European rulers.
Life
Early life and training
Grupello was born as the son of Bernardo Rupelli, an Italian cavalry captain in Spanish service, and his Flemish wife Cornelia Delinck.C. J. A. Genders, ''Gabriël Grupello''in: Nationaal Biografisch Woordenboek, Volume 6, p. 392–404, Brussel, Paleis der Akademiën, 1964 His father, who died at a young age, was a member of the higher non-aristocratic class of society. Grupello later styled himself as Chevalier de Grupello, but a noble ancestry has not been demonstrated.
At age 14, he started a five-year training as a sculptor in the Antwerp workshop of leading Baroque sculptor Artus Quellinus the Elder.Kai Budde. "Grupello, Gabriel."Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 6 June 2021 After studying in Italy where he had worked in the workshop of his compatriot François Duquesnoy, Quellinus had returned to Antwerp in 1640. He had brought with him a new vision of the role of the sculptor. The sculptor was no longer to be an ornamentalist but a creator of a total artwork in which architectural components were replaced by sculptures. He saw the church furniture that he was commissioned to make as an occasion for creating large-scale compositions, incorporated into the church interior.Helena Bussers, ''De baroksculptuur en het barok''
at Openbaar Kunstbezit Vlaanderen From 1650 onwards, Quellinus worked for fifteen years on the new
city hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
in Amsterdam together with the lead architect Jacob van Campen. Now called the Royal Palace on the Dam, this construction project, and in particular the marble decorations that Quellinus and his workshop produced, became an example for other buildings in Amsterdam. Quellinus invited many sculptors from his native Antwerp to assist him in the realisation of this project, many of whom such as his cousin Artus Quellinus II
Artus Quellinus II or Artus Quellinus the Younger (alternative first name: Arnold; variation on family name: Quellijn, Quellyn, Quellien, Quellin, Quellinius) (between 10 and 20 November 1625, Sint-Truiden – 22 November 1700, Antwerp) was a ...
, Rombout Verhulst and Bartholomeus Eggers
Bartholomeus Eggers (c. 1637Bartholomeus Eggers
at the would become leading sculptors in their own right.Halsema-Kubes, W. “Bartholomeus Eggers' Keizers- En Keizerinnenbusten Voor Keurvorst Friedrich Wilhelm Van Brandenburg.”
Bulletin Van Het Rijksmuseum, vol. 36, no. 1, 1988, pp. 44–53, 6 June 2021 Grupello may have assisted Quellinus with the sculptural decorations in this project. His exact contributions cannot be identified as this was a collaborative effort. The sculptural decorations in the Amsterdam city hall established the international reputation of Quellinus and his workshop and would lead to many more foreign commissions for the Quellinus workshop including in Germany, Denmark and England. This helped further spread the Flemish Baroque idiom in Europe. He completed a further two years of study in Paris and Versailles, where he was in contact with his compatriots Philippe de Buyster,
at the would become leading sculptors in their own right.Halsema-Kubes, W. “Bartholomeus Eggers' Keizers- En Keizerinnenbusten Voor Keurvorst Friedrich Wilhelm Van Brandenburg.”
Bulletin Van Het Rijksmuseum, vol. 36, no. 1, 1988, pp. 44–53, 6 June 2021 Grupello may have assisted Quellinus with the sculptural decorations in this project. His exact contributions cannot be identified as this was a collaborative effort. The sculptural decorations in the Amsterdam city hall established the international reputation of Quellinus and his workshop and would lead to many more foreign commissions for the Quellinus workshop including in Germany, Denmark and England. This helped further spread the Flemish Baroque idiom in Europe. He completed a further two years of study in Paris and Versailles, where he was in contact with his compatriots Philippe de Buyster,
Gerard van Opstal
Gerard van Opstal or Gérard van Opstal (1594 or 1597, Brussels – 1668, Paris), was a Southern Netherlands, Flemish Baroque sculptor mainly active in Paris. He was known for his low-relief friezes with classical mythological themes and his ...
and Martin Desjardins
Martin Desjardins, born Martin van den Bogaert (1637 – 2 May 1694) was a French sculptor and stuccoist of Dutch birth.
He was born at Breda, the son of a milliner in a house that would later carry the name 'de Drye Bredasche Hoeden' ("the Th ...
and learned the technique of bronze casting. He subsequently worked for two years for the sculptor Johan Larson in The Hague.
In Brussels
He returned to Flanders in 1671 and two years later he became a master of the Brussels Guild. He opened a workshop in Brussels, which became very successful and employed many assistants. He enjoyed the patronage of the city as well as that of various European rulers, including the Spanish king Charles II, William II of Orange and Frederick III, the Elector of Brandenburg. Grupello collaborated from about 1673 to 1678 on the decorative project for the funerary chapel of Duke Lamoral of Thorn and Taxis (in the Our Blessed Lady of Zavel Church in Brussels). This decorative project was initially under the direction of Lucas Faydherbe, a prominent sculptor from Mechelen. Grupello created two allegorical figures representing ''Hope'' (Spes) and ''Faith'' (Fides), which were placed in niches in the chapel with two other allegorical sculptures of ''Charity'' (Caritas) and ''Truth'' (Veritas) executed byJan van Delen
Jan van Delen (1635/1636, Brussels – 12 March 1703,Léon Lock, ''Caritas, Jan van Delen''
by Erfgoed Koning Boudewijnstichting - Patrimoine Fondation Roi Baudouin, 2013 The ''Charity'' and ''Faith'' (Fides) sculptures were stolen at the end of the 18th century during one of the occupations of the Southern Netherlands by the French. ''Charity'' was rediscovered in a French private collection two centuries later and returned to Belgium after a sale at Christie's in 2012.Jan van Delen, ''Caritas''
at Christie's The statue group of ''Hope'' (Spes) by Grupello shows a sitting woman personifying hope with an anchor and a child which may be a symbol of the next generation. In other words, the child could represent the son of the Duke of Lamoral who after the early death of his father had to continue the family name and business. The book above Hope refers to the genealogy of the Lamoral family prepared by
Grupello married Anna Maria Dautzenberg, the daughter of the Elector's lawyer, in 1698. Five children were born from this marriage. The Elector gave Grupello in 1708 a house in the city centre.Grupellohaus
The house, which is still called the ''Zwei Büsten vervollständigen wieder das Portal am Grupello-Haus
With the death of Elector Johann Wilhelm in 1716, the employment of the sculptor at the court came to an end. Elector Johann Wilhelm's successor Elector Carl Philipp introduced austerity measures and dismissed officials and artists. Grupello continued to live in Düsseldorf and in 1619 the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI appointed him as Imperial sculptor.
In 1725, Grupello and his wife moved into the quarters at Ehrenstein Castle in Kerkrade (now in the Netherlands) of their daughter, who was married to an imperial official. He died there in 1730 at the age of 86 years.
by Erfgoed Koning Boudewijnstichting - Patrimoine Fondation Roi Baudouin, 2013 The ''Charity'' and ''Faith'' (Fides) sculptures were stolen at the end of the 18th century during one of the occupations of the Southern Netherlands by the French. ''Charity'' was rediscovered in a French private collection two centuries later and returned to Belgium after a sale at Christie's in 2012.Jan van Delen, ''Caritas''
at Christie's The statue group of ''Hope'' (Spes) by Grupello shows a sitting woman personifying hope with an anchor and a child which may be a symbol of the next generation. In other words, the child could represent the son of the Duke of Lamoral who after the early death of his father had to continue the family name and business. The book above Hope refers to the genealogy of the Lamoral family prepared by
Jules Chifflet
Jules is the French form of the Latin "Julius" (e.g. Jules César, the French name for Julius Caesar). It is the given name of:
People with the name
* Jules Aarons (1921–2008), American space physicist and photographer
*Jules Abadie (1876–19 ...
, which had revealed the truth about the family and given a firm basis to the family's claim to its elevated position.
During his time in Brussels, he also fathered a son (born 1671) and a daughter (born 1674) with his mistress Johanna Louisa Quebault (Tebout).
In Germany
In 1695, the Elector Johann Wilhelm appointed Grupello as his official court sculptor and Grupello then moved to live and work in Düsseldorf. He created numerous sculptures of the royal couple in marble and bronze, and was responsible for the supervision of craftsmen who worked on the Elector's palaces. Grupello also designed a fountain known as the Grupello pyramid for the Galerieplatz in Düsseldorf (now in Mannheim).
Grupello married Anna Maria Dautzenberg, the daughter of the Elector's lawyer, in 1698. Five children were born from this marriage. The Elector gave Grupello in 1708 a house in the city centre.GrupellohausThe house, which is still called the ''
Grupello-Haus The Grupello-Haus (Grupello house) is a three-storey building located at 4 Marktplatz, Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The original size of the building was likely half of its current size.
History
It is believed to have been design ...
'' or "Grupello House", is believed to have been designed by the Italian architect Matteo Alberti
Matteo Alberti (born 4 August 1988 in Brescia, Italy) is an Italian footballer, who plays for US Governolese.
Career
He joined Queens Park Rangers from Chievo Verona youth side and made his debut in the opening game of the 2008–09 season in ...
. Grupello carried out an important reconstruction of the building and used the house as the living quarters of his family and partially also as a studio. Originally, two busts representing the Greek goddesses Artemis and Aphrodite presumed to be by Grupello were placed above the portal of the house. The original bronze statues are now in the local Stadtmuseum Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf and have been replaced by two concrete cast replicas.
With the death of Elector Johann Wilhelm in 1716, the employment of the sculptor at the court came to an end. Elector Johann Wilhelm's successor Elector Carl Philipp introduced austerity measures and dismissed officials and artists. Grupello continued to live in Düsseldorf and in 1619 the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI appointed him as Imperial sculptor.
In 1725, Grupello and his wife moved into the quarters at Ehrenstein Castle in Kerkrade (now in the Netherlands) of their daughter, who was married to an imperial official. He died there in 1730 at the age of 86 years.
Work
Grupello was a versatile artist in terms of the subject range of his sculptures as well as the materials in which he worked. He executed works in marble, ivory and wood and was rare among his contemporary Flemish Baroque sculptors in that he also made bronze statues. A prime example is the bronze equestrian statue of the Elector Johann Wilhelm. His early work shows a classicist tendency, which may be due to his study period in France. In Brussels, his work was influenced by the Flemish Baroque, and in particular Peter Paul Rubens, and developed into a full-blown Baroque style. A major work that Grupello created in this style in Brussels is the marble wall fountain, intended for the main ballroom of the wholesale fishmongers guild. It is this Baroque style that he brought to Düsseldorf when he moved there. In his later life, he turned more to religious art and produced crucifixes,Madonnas
In art, a Madonna () is a representation of Mary, either alone or with her child Jesus. These images are central icons for both the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The word is (archaic). The Madonna and Child type is very prevalent ...
and statues of saints.
References
Further reading
* Rudi Dorsch: ''Grupello-Pyramide im neuen Glanz''. Mannheim 1993. * Udo Kultermann: ''Gabriel Grupello''. Berlin 1968.External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grupello, Gabriel Flemish Baroque sculptors Ivory carvers 17th-century births 1730 deaths People from Geraardsbergen