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Philips Alexander Nijs (27 May 1724 – 22 March 1805) was a Flemish sculptor and court sculptor of
Philips Alexander Nijs (27 May 1724 – 22 March 1805) was a Flemish sculptor and court sculptor of 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 ...
. He was the son of sculptor Adriaan Nijs
Adriaan Nijs (6 June 1683 – 21 April 1771) was a Flemish sculptor active in the Waasland.
He was educated in Antwerp, where he was a pupil of Hendrik Frans Verbruggen. At the end of his life he settled in Temse. His oeuvre is known for its pur ...
.
Life and work
Philips Alexander Nijs was born in Temse on 27 May 1724, to sculptor Egidius Adrianus Nijs and Joanna Catharina Van der Beke. He founded the academy ''Academie ofte Teekenconstkamer'' in his birthplace Temse in 1776.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 ...
appointed him court sculptor in 1759 when he visited Temse. Nijs mentioned this title in his signature and in gilded letters above his door.
Many of his works are no longer known. Prominently present in his work are the bust of Charles of Lorraine and a terracotta statue of the apostle Peter in the Museum Mayer van den Bergh
Museum Mayer van den Bergh is a museum in Antwerp, Belgium, housing the collection of the art dealer and collector Fritz Mayer van den Bergh (1858-1901). The major works are from the Gothic and Renaissance period in the Netherlands and Belgiu ...
in Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,
. In the Church of Our Lady in Temse, both his and his father's sculptures can be seen. A wooden sculpture of Charles of Lorraine, hitherto known only from literature, suddenly appeared at an auction at Sotheby's in Paris. It was part of the collection Maréchal Berthier, Prince de Wagram, and was acquired by the King Baudouin Foundation
The King Baudouin Foundation (KBF) ( nl, Koning Boudewijnstichting, KBS; french: Fondation Roi-Baudouin) is an independent, pluralistic foundation based in Brussels (Belgium). It seeks to change society for the better and invests in inspiring proj ...
at the auction.
He married in about 1748 to Joanna Maria Peeters, who gave him 4 daughters and 7 sons.
References
1724 births 1805 deaths 18th-century Flemish sculptors People from Temse {{Belgium-sculptor-stub