Patrick Damiaens (born 15 November 1966) is a Belgian

woodcarver Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation ...

who specialises in

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 ...

ornamental and

heraldic Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branc ...

sculptures.

Biography

After studying furniture making for six years and ornamental woodcarving for four years, Damiaens started his professional career in 1989. He is a follower of the Liège-Aachen Baroque furniture style fr;_ fr;_:nl:Luiks-Akense_meubelstijl">nl;_:de:Aachen-Lütticher_Möbel.html" ;"title=":nl:Luiks-Akense_meubelstijl.html" ;"title=":fr:Style_Liège-Aix.html" ;"title="nowiki/>:fr:Style Liège-Aix">fr; :nl:Luiks-Akense meubelstijl">nl; :de:Aachen-Lütticher Möbel">de] which dates to the 17th century. His studio is located in Maaseik in the Provinces of Belgium, Belgian province of Limburg (Belgium), Limburg. In 2015, he was commissioned to recreate intricate woodcarvings for prayer frames that had been stolen from

Emperor Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

's tomb in St Michael's Abbey in

Farnborough Farnborough may refer to: Australia * Farnborough, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Livingstone United Kingdom * Farnborough, Hampshire, a town in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England ** Farnborough (Main) railway station, a railw ...

. In March 2015, he received the Belgian Gold Honour Badge of Labour by

Royal Decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used for ...

. File:Costoluto Genovese, from 2008. Carved by ornamental wood carver Patrick Damiaens.jpg, "Costoluto Genovese", 2011 File:Patrick Damiaens Houtornamentist -Ornamentist.jpg, Patrick Damiaens Ornamental Wood carver File:The Cardone family coat of arms carved in wood.jpg, Carved coat of arms. File:Patrick Damiaens VS Zara Home Belgium court case.jpg, Patrick Damiaens VS Zara Home Belgium court case

Case against Zara Home

In 2017, a judge ruled that

Zara Home Zara Home is a company that belongs to the Spanish Inditex group dedicated to the manufacturing of home textiles. It was created in 2003. It has around 408 stores in 44 countries. The company focuses on retailing various housewares. The headqua ...

Belgium which is part of the Spanish multinational

Inditex Industria de Diseño Textil, S.A. (Inditex; , ; ) is a Spanish multinational clothing company headquartered in Arteixo, Galicia, in Spain. Inditex, the biggest fast fashion group in the world, operates over 7,200 stores in 93 markets worldwide ...

had used one of Patrick Damiaens's heraldic wood carvings designs as inspiration for a candle they sold. They were ordered to pay damages to Damiaens for

plagiarism Plagiarism is the fraudulent representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 '' Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close imitation of the language and thought ...

and the candles were taken off the market.

Recovery of stolen coat of arms

In 2016, Damiaens discovered and helped to return the stolen carving of Sir Nicholas Throckmorton's coat of arms that was taken from his tomb in

St Katharine Cree The Guild Church of St Katharine Cree is an Anglican church in the Aldgate ward of the City of London, on the north side of Leadenhall Street near Leadenhall Market. It was founded in 1280. The present building dates from 1628 to 1630. Formerly ...

by alerting Art Recovery International of his find in a Namur antique fair.

Distinctions and awards

* 2015: Gold Honour Badge of Labour

Notes and references

External links

Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Damiaens, Patrick Heraldic artists Belgian woodcarvers 20th-century Belgian sculptors 21st-century Belgian sculptors 1966 births Living people