Peter van Dievoet (; French: Pierre,

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

: Peeter,

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: Petrus; 16611729) was a sculptor, statuary, wood carver, and designer of ornamental architectural features from Brussels. He achieved fame for his work on a number of the

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 ...

guild houses of the

Grand-Place The Grand-Place (French, ; "Grand Square"; also used in English) or Grote Markt (Dutch, ; "Big Market") is the central square of Brussels, Belgium. It is surrounded by opulent Baroque guildhalls of the former Guilds of Brussels and two larger ...

(Brussels' main square), which was rebuilt after the bombardment of 1695, as well as on the Statue of James II

Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole (), 4th Earl of Orford (24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English writer, art historian, man of letters, antiquarian, and Whigs (British political party), Whig politician. He had Strawb ...

, ''Anecdotes of painting in England: with some account of the principal artists; and incidental notes on other arts; collected by the late Mr.

George Vertue George Vertue (1684 – 24 July 1756) was an English engraver and antiquary, whose notebooks on British art of the first half of the 18th century are a valuable source for the period. Life Vertue was born in 1684 in St Martin-in-the-Fields, ...

; and now digested and published from his original MSS. by Mr.

'', London, 1765, vol. III, p. 91 : "Gibbons had several disciples and workmen; Selden I have mentioned; Watson assisted chiefly at Chatsworth, where the boys and many of the ornaments in the chapel were executed by him. Dievot of Brussels, and Laurens of Mechlin were principal journeymen — Vertue says they modelled and cast the statue I have mentioned in the privy-garden". According to David Green, in ''Grinling Gibbons, his work as carver and statuary'' (London, 1964), one Smooke sayd to Vertue that this statue "was modelled and made by Laurence and Devoot ic ;

, ''Note Books'', ed. Walpole Society, Oxford, 1930-47, vol. I, p.82 : "Lawrence. Dyvoet. statuarys", and ''ibidem'' IV, 50 : "Laurens a statuary of Mechlin... Dievot a statuary of Brussels both these artists were in England and assisted Mr. Gibbons in statuary works in K. Charles 2d. and K. James 2d. time, they left England in the troubles of the Revolution and retird to their own country". in

Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London, laid out in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. At its centre is a high column bearing a statue of Admiral Nelson commemo ...

, London. He was the brother of

Philippe van Dievoet Sire Philippe Van Dievoet () called Vandive (), écuyer, (1654–1738) was a celebrated goldsmith and jeweller. He was goldsmith to King Louis XIV, councillor of the King, ''officier de la Garde Robe du Roi'' (officer of the King's wardrobe), trus ...

goldsmith A goldsmith is a Metalworking, metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Nowadays they mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, goldsmiths have also made cutlery, silverware, platter (dishware), pl ...

King Louis XIV of France , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Versa ...

and the uncle of the Parisian printer

Guillaume Vandive Guillaume Vandive (, also Vandivout and Van Dievoet; ) (22 november 1680 – 1706) was a French printer and bookseller. He was a master tradesman under the patronage of the Dauphin of France. Vandive's premises was on the rue Saint-Jacques, Par ...

Biography

Peter van Dievoet was born into the

Van Dievoet family The Van Dievoet family () is a Belgian family originating from the Duchy of Brabant. It descends from the Seven Noble Houses of Brussels and its members have been ''bourgeois'' (burgess) of that city since the 1600s. It formed, at the end of th ...

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

and baptised at the Church of St. Michael and St. Gudula (now Brussels' cathedral) on 29 June 1661. He was born from the second marriage of Gilles van Dievoet,

bourgeois of Brussels In City of Brussels, Brussels, as in most European cities, one needed the capacity of Bourgeoisie, bourgeois (equivalent to German Burgher (title), burgher or English Burgess (title), burgess; in French ''bourgeois'' or ''citoyen'' ''de Bruxelle ...

, to Gertrude Zeevaert. Gilles van Dievoet (? - † before 1672) had a previous marriage with Catherine Slachmeulder, with whom he had among others:

, goldsmith of

. The young Peter was therefore fatherless around the age of twelve or thirteen. His mother later remarried, and died on 22 July 1705. After some time in Brussels, he moved to England where he was a regular visitor to the studio of

Grinling Gibbons Grinling Gibbons (4 April 1648 – 3 August 1721) was an Anglo-Dutch sculptor and wood carver known for his work in England, including Windsor Castle and Hampton Court Palace, St Paul's Cathedral and other London churches, Petworth House and other ...

. In 1686, he cast and made the statue of James II for

St. James's Park St James's Park is a park in the City of Westminster, central London. It is at the southernmost tip of the St James's area, which was named after a leper hospital dedicated to St James the Less. It is the most easterly of a near-continuous ch ...

in London, now in

. He returned to Brussels due to the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...

of 1688. In 1695, he was master of the ''Quatre-Couronnés'' at Brussels, the

guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...

of stonemasons and sculptors. He was an acclaimed sculptor and was involved in the construction of the new

in its

style. He was a member (one of "The Eight") then a judge (or "Dean") of the Drapery Court of Brussels from 1713 to 1723.''Armorial de la Gilde Drapière'', Bibliothèque Royale, Cabinet des Manuscrit, ms. G123.

Career

Time in London (1680–1688)

According to Edmond Marchal, Van Dievoet's most important works are in England and are "among the best of that time". He worked in London in the studio of

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

sculptor

for almost eight years, from 1680 to 1688. His English production (mainly sculptures) remains poorly known because little research has been done to find and inventory it.

mentions him only as statuary. The same George Vertue, who had found an agreement and a receipt of payment for this work, attributes to him, in collaboration with a certain Laurens of

Mechelen Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...

, the bronze statue of James II (1686) in the courtyard of

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It is the main ...

, currently in

Margaret Whinney Margaret Dickens Whinney (4 February 1897 – 1975) was an English art historian who taught at the Courtauld Institute of Art. Her published works included books on British sculpture and architecture. Life Whinney was the daughter of Thomas Bost ...

notes that this statue does not have an English but rather a continental character and gives it the same attribution: "two Flemings, Laurens of Mechelen and Dievot of Brussels (sic), were employed to model and make it." This attribution is repeated by Sir Lionel Henri Cust: "Dyvoet (sic) ... and Laurens ... who executed the statue of James II at Whitehall." The fore-mentioned ''Laurens'' is identified by Paul-Eugène Claessens as the sculptor Laurence Vander Meulen from

Mechlin Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...

. File:Studies for a statue by Peter Van Dievoet.jpg, ''Studies for a statue of a figure in Roman dress'', by Peter van Dievoet, in the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Katherine Gibson, 'The emergence of Grinling Gibbons as a statuary', published in Apollo, September 1999, p. 28. File:James II statue 1.jpg, Statue of King James II by Peter van Dievoet, in

, London, 1686

Return to Brussels (1689–1729)

Having returned to his hometown around 1689, Van Dievoet had to meet the requirements of the corporate institution and enrol in the corporation of the ''Quatre-Couronnés'', the Guild of the stonemasons, of which he was officially received as master in 1695. It is at this date that his work in Brussels begins. That same year, Brussels was destroyed by the French bombardment. Already during his lifetime, Van Dievoet was considered a renowned sculptor. Long after his death, a report of the magistrates of Brussels to

Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine Prince Charles Alexander Emanuel of Lorraine (french: Charles Alexandre Emanuel, Prince de Lorraine; german: Karl Alexander von Lothringen und Bar; 12 December 1712 in Lunéville – 4 July 1780 in Tervuren) was a Lorraine-born Austrian general a ...

Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands The governor ( nl, landvoogd) or governor-general () of the Habsburg Netherlands was a representative appointed by the Holy Roman emperor (1504-1556), the king of Spain (1556-1598, 1621-1706), and the archduke of Austria (1716-1794), to administ ...

, dated 27 September 1771, quotes Van Dievoet in a list of "very remarkable Brussels sculptors". From his Brussels work, we still know only of the pieces mentioned by Guillaume Des Marez,Guillaume Des Marez (Illustrated Guide of Brussels, Brussels, 1928). while waiting for other "discoveries" or authentications. He is mainly known there for his realisations and conceptions of many of the guild houses of the famous

. The following are his work as described by Des Marez:

The House of the White Lamb

The sculptures on the facade of the 1696-built House of the White Lamb (

Maison de l'Agneau Blanc The ''Maison de l'Agneau Blanc'' () or simply ''l'Agneau Blanc'' is a Baroque house, built in 1696, located at 42, / () in Brussels, Belgium, parallel to the Grand-Place/Grote Markt. It has been a protected heritage site since 2011. The sculp ...

) on the / are the work of Van Dievoet.

The Grand-Place

Van Dievoet sculpted the facades of the following guild halls on the

: ''La Maison du Sac'' (Grand-Place, number 4), ''La Maison du Cornet'' (number 6), ''La Maison de l'Arbre d'Or'' or the House of Brewers (number 10), ''La Maison de la Chaloupe d'Or'' (number 24-25). He was also the architect for ''Le Heaume'' (number 34). File:Maison du Sac restaurée.jpg, ''La Maison du Sac'' File:Maison du Cornet 03.JPG, ''La Maison du Cornet'' File:Belgique - Bruxelles - Maison de l'Arbre d'Or - 01.jpg, ''L'Arbre d'Or'' File:Bruxelles, Grand-Place, la Chaloupe d'Or après rénovation - panoramio.jpg, ''La Maison de la Chaloupe d'Or'' File:Maison du Heaume 01.JPG, ''La Maison du Heaume''

Wood carving

Van Dievoet is also the author of finely chiseled woodcarvings, as shown, for example, by the extremely elaborate lime-wood ornamentation of festoons and fruits, which is preserved at the Royal Museums of Art and History of Brussels. He also carved out of wood, "keerses" which are richly decorated emblems, used for celebrations, for the tailors' guild.

Public functions

Van Dievoet continued his career by exercising public functions. From 1713 to 1723, between ages 52 and 62, he was one of The Eight and then Dean (judge) of the Drapery Court, an old Brussels institution that can be compared to a chamber of commerce, and whose members were called the "brothers of the Guild". At the end of this term, from 1723 to 1724, between ages 62 and 63, he became a member of the

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

by becoming a Councilor of the

City of Brussels The City of Brussels (french: Ville de Bruxelles or alternatively ''Bruxelles-Ville'' ; nl, Stad Brussel or ''Brussel-Stad'') is the largest municipality and historical City centre, centre of the Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, as well a ...

.Alexandre Henne and

Alphonse Wauters Alphonse Wauters (1817–1898) was a Belgian archivist and historian. Life Alphonse Guillaume Ghislain Wauters was born in Brussels on 13 April 1817. He was appointed archivist of the city of Brussels on 2 April 1842. He became a correspondent of ...

, ''Histoire de la ville de Bruxelles'', Éditions culture et civilisation Bruxelles, 1975, Volume 2, pp. 507-508 After that, he left public life. A pious man, he had been, until the end of his life, a ''marguillier'' (

churchwarden A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish or congregation of the Anglican Communion or Catholic Church, usually working as a part-time volunteer. In the Anglican tradition, holders of these positions are ''ex officio'' members of the parish b ...

) of the Church of St. Michael and St. Gudula. He died in Brussels on 2 March 1729, at 68.

Arms

Gallery: File:Blason Pierre VAN DIEVOET - armorial Gilde Drapière 01.jpg, Peter Van Dievoet's arms from roll of arms of the Drapery Court of Brussels File:Armorial de la Gilde Drapière Bruxelles 02.jpg, Van Dievoet's arms are featured on this

roll of arms A roll of arms (or armorial) is a collection of coats of arms, usually consisting of rows of painted pictures of shields, each shield accompanied by the name of the person bearing the arms. The oldest extant armorials date to the mid-13th centur ...

of the members of the Drapery Court of Brussels.

Notes and references

* — « La généalogie et l'héraldique au service de l'histoire de l'art », in ''L'Intermédiaire des généalogistes'', n° 137, Brussels, 1968. * — « Généalogie de Brou (x) », in ''L'Intermédiaire des généalogistes'', n° 122, Brussels, 1966, p. 88. * — ''La Grand'Place de Bruxelles'', illustrations de Van Gucht, Brussels, galerie Ex-Libris, s.d., n° 10. * Philippe Baert, ''Mémoires sur les sculpteurs et architectes des Pays-Bas'', edited by Baron de Reiffenberg, Brussels, 1848, p. 117. * Bénézit, ''Dictionnaire critique et documentaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs'', Paris, 1955, vol. 3, p. 268 et ibid. Paris, 1956, vol. 4, p. 238. * Bénézit, ''Dictionary of Artists'', 2006, vol.4, p. 911. * Edwin Beresford Chancellor, ''The Romance of Soho. Being an Account of the District, Its Past Distinguished Inhabitants'', 1931, p. 32. * David Blayney Brown, ''Catalogue of the Collection of Drawings in the Ashmolean Museum'', Ashmolean Museum - Art, 1982, p. 637. * Andrée Brunard, "La Grand-Place, joyau de la Capitale", in, ''Les Belles Heures de Bruxelles'', Paris-Bruxelles, 1952, p. 170. * J. E. Buschman, ''Annales de l'Académie d'archéologie de Belgique'', Bruxelles, 1867, p. 486 et p. 507. * Paul-Eugène Claessens et Julien Cuypers, "Quand Bruxelles ravagée renaît plus belle sous les ailes de l'archange : le sculpteur Pierre van Dievoet, son œuvre et sa famille", in ''Intermédiaire des généalogistes'', no. 121, Brussels, 1966, pp. 39–41. * Maurice Culot, Eric Hennaut, Marie Demanet, Caroline Mierop, ''Le bombardement de Bruxelles par Louis XIV et la reconstruction qui s'en suivit 1695-1700'', Brussels, 1992, p. 218 (Contrat d'adjudication de la maison du Cornet, Grand-Place) * Allan Cunningham, ''The Lives of the Most Eminent British Painters and Sculptors'', vol III, New York, 1835, p. 14. * Sir Lionel Henri Cust, "Grinling Gibbons", ''Dictionary of National Biography'', London, 1949–56, vol. VII, p. 1140. * M. J. De Decker, "Relevé de l'Agneau Blanc", (deuxième prix partagé, S.C.A.B. concours annuel de relevés de 1924), dans, ''L'Émulation'', Brussels, 1925, plate 8. * Guillaume Des Marez, ''Guide illustré de Bruxelles'', Brussels, 1928, vol. 1, pp. 65, 81, 82, 89, 90, 92, 112, and vol. 11, p. 182. * Guillaume Des Marez, "Les transformations de la ville de Bruxelles au XVIIème siècle et les métiers de la construction", ''Études inédites'', Brussels, 1936, p. 135. * Pieter D'Hondt, ''L'académie royale, notice historique'', Brussels, s.d., p. 21. * George Godwin, John Britton, ''The Churches of London: A History and Description of the Ecclesiastical Edifices of the Metropolis'', 1839. * David Green, ''Grinling Gibbons his work as carver and statuary, 1648-1721'', Londres, 1964, pp. 56, 194. *''Great men of Great Britain'', Cyclopaedia, Great Britain, 1866, p. 109. *

Rupert Gunnis Rupert Forbes Gunnis (11 March 1899 – 31 July 1965) was an English collector and historian of British sculpture. He is best known for his ''Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660–1851'', which "revolutionized the study of British sculpture, pr ...

, ''

Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660–1851 The ''Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660–1851'' is a biographical dictionary of sculptors active in Britain in the period between the Restoration of Charles II and the Great Exhibition of 1851. It has appeared in three editions, published in 1 ...

'', London, 1953, pp. 130, 169, 406. * Alexandre Henne et Alphonse Wauters, ''Histoire de la ville de Bruxelles'', Bruxelles, 1845, vol. II, p. 556 ; Mina Martens, ''Index général'', Brussels, 1972, s.v. "Dievoet". * Mary Botham Howitt, ''Howitt's Journal of Literature and Popular Progress'', William Howitt, 1847, p. 408. * Johannes Immerzeel, ''De levens en werken der Hollandsche en Vlaamsche kunstschilders, beeldhouvers, graveurs'', Amsterdam, 1842, p. 278. * Chevalier Edmond Marchal, ''Mémoire sur la Sculpture aux Pays-Bas pendant les XVII et XVIII siècles'', Brussels, 1877, pp. 3, 12, 82, 190; ''La sculpture et les chefs-d'œuvre de l'orfèvrerie belges'', Brussels, 1895, pp. 468, 5S3, 743. * Dr. Kurt Zoege von Manteuffel, "Dievoet (Dievot), van Bildhauer in Brüssel", in Ulrich Thieme and Felix Becker (eds.), ''Allgemeines Lexicon des bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur gegenwart'', Leipzig, 1913, vol. IX, p. 279. * Victor-Gaston Martiny, "Le décor architectural de la Grand-Place", ''La Grand-Place de Bruxelles'', Brussels and Liège, 1966, p. 122. * André Monteyne, ''De Brusselaars in een stad die anders is'', 1981, pp. 127, 367. * Dr. Georg Kaspar Nagler, ''Neues Allgemeines Künstler- Lexicon'', Munich, 1836, vol. III, p. 404. * Henry-Charles van Parys, "Van Dievoet : réponse", ''L'Intermédiaire des généalogistes'', no. 148, Brussels, 1970, p. 254. * Alexandre Pinchart, ''Archives des arts, sciences et lettres, documents inédits'', Gand, 1860, vol. I, p. 40. * L. G. G. Ramsey, ''The Concise Encyclopedia of Antiques'', The Connoisseur, London, 1901, p. 155. * Viviane Roothooft, ''De Grote Markt te Brussel'', Bruxelles, 1978, p. 13. * Georges Sion, ''Bruxelles ou les contes de Mille et un ans'', Bruxelles, 1979, pp. 170 et 174. * Félix Stappaerts, "Pierre van Dievoet", ''

Biographie Nationale de Belgique The ''Biographie nationale de Belgique'' ( French; "National Biography of Belgium") is a biographical dictionary of Belgium. It was published by the Royal Academy of Belgium in 44 volumes between 1866 and 1986. A continuation series, entitled the ' ...

'', Brussels, 1878, vol. VI, column 74; Brussels, 1936–1938, vol. XXVI, column 385. * H. Avray Tipping, ''Grinling Gibbons and the Wood-work of his age (1648-1720)'', London, 1914, pp. 95, 125, 251. * Alain Van Dievoet, "Les Vandive, consuls de Paris", ''L'Intermédiaire des généalogistes'', no. 180, Brussels, 1975, pp. 452 à 453. * Alain Van Dievoet, ''Une famille d'orfèvres et consuls de Paris d'origine bruxelloise : les van Dievoet dits van Dive, Bruxelles'', 1976, passim (xérocopié). * Alain Van Dievoet, "Question sur le sculpteur Pierre van Dievoet", ''L'Intermédiaire des généalogistes'', no. 147, Brussels, 1970, p. 185. * Alain Van Dievoet, "Un disciple belge de Grinling Gibbons, le sculpteur Pierre van Dievoet (1661-1729) et son œuvre à Londres et Bruxelles", ''Le Folklore brabançon'', March 1980, no. 225, pp. 65-91. * Alain Van Dievoet, "Généalogie de la famille van Dievoet originaire de Bruxelles, dite van Dive à Paris", ''Le Parchemin'', Brussels, 1986, no. 245, pp. 273-293. * Alain Van Dievoet, "Quand le savoir-faire des orfèvres bruxellois brillait à Versailles", ''Cahiers bruxellois'', Brussels, 2004, pp. 19-66. * Marcel Vanhamme, ''Bruxelles. Promenades dans le Passé'', Brussels, 1949, pp. 76, 84. * Louis Verniers, ''Un millénaire d'histoire de Bruxelles depuis les origines jusqu'en 1830'', Brussels, 1965, pp. 364, 366, 644. * George Vertue, ''Note Books'', ed. Walpole Society, Oxford, 1930–47, vol. I, pp. 61, 82, 106; vol. IV, p. 50. * George Vertue and Horace Walpole, ''Anecdotes of Painting in England'', London, 1765, vol. III, p. 91. * Alphonse Wauters, ''Liste des doyens des corps de métier de Bruxelles 1696-1795'', Brussels, 1888, p. 55. * Margaret Whinney, ''Sculpture in Britain, 1530 to 1830'', London, 1964, p. 55. * Dr.

Alfred von Wurzbach Alfred Wurzbach Ritter von Tannenberg (born 22 July 1846 in Lemberg; died 18 May 1915 in Vienna) was an Austrian art critic. Biography He was the son of Constantin von Wurzbach. He studied jurisprudence in Vienna and entered the civil service ...

, ''Niederländischer Künstler-Lexicon'', Vienna and Leipzig, 1906, vol. I, p. 407.

External links

The genealogy of the family of sculptor Peter Van Dievoet

Van Dievoet, Pierre
on the website of the

''Studies for a statue of a figure in Roman dress''
on the website of the

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vandievoet, Peter Belgian sculptors Belgian woodcarvers Flemish Baroque sculptors 1660s births 1729 deaths

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

Belgian expatriates in England