Thomas Quellinus (March 1661 – September 1709), also known, especially in

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

, as Thomas Qvellinus, was a

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

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 Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

.Thomas Quellinus
at the

Netherlands Institute for Art History The Netherlands Institute for Art History or RKD (Dutch: RKD-Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis), previously Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), is located in The Hague and is home to the largest art history center i ...

He was born 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,

as a member of the well-known Quellinus family of artists active in 17th century

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,

. He worked most of his career in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

, where he operated a workshop. He is especially known for the production of grandiose and sumptuous memorial chapels, sepulchral monuments and

epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

s, which can be found in churches throughout Denmark and northern Germany's

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sch ...

area. His chapels and monuments are dramatically composed, executed in rare, differently coloured types of marble and framed by monumental architectural components.

Early life and training

Thomas Quellinus was born in Antwerp to the leading Baroque sculptor

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 ...

and Anna Maria Gabron, and was baptised on 17 March 1661. He trained in his father's workshop in the art of sculpture. After completing his apprenticeship with his father, he went to

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 ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, where he worked with his brother

Artus Quellinus III Artus Quellinus III, known in England as Arnold QuellinArtus Quellinus III
at the

He was already a respected artist when he came to

at the end of the 1680s to oversee the numerous Scandinavian commissions of his father's workshop. He arrived in 1689 and supervised the work on the

tomb A tomb ( grc-gre, τύμβος ''tumbos'') is a :wikt:repository, repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be ...

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

Hans Schack Hans Schack (28 October 1608 – 27 February 1676) was a member of the north German noble family Schack, who after many years in French service, entered the Danish service, made major contributions during the war with Sweden, and loyally supported ...

(1609–76) in Trinity Church (''Trinitatiskirke''),

. In a short time he gained a considerable independent reputation as a sculptor in

Northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe Northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other g ...

. The commission to create the

Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve, Count of Laurvig (20 July 1638 – 17 April 1704) was Governor-general of Norway (''Stattholdere i Norge'') from 1664–1699. He was the leading general in Norway during the Scanian War, whose Norwegian leg is conventio ...

monument in Our Lady Church ('' Vor Frue Kirke''), Copenhagen in August 1689 was the catalyst for his extended stay and successful career in Denmark. Due to the volume and scope of work he produced, he opened in 1689 a workshop in

Lübeck Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the stat ...

, which specialized in funerary monuments for Danish and north German patrons. In his workshop he had many students, apprentices and helpers, mainly sculptors from Flanders, among them

Alexander van Papenhoven Alexander van Papenhoven (Antwerp, 14 July 1669 – Antwerp, 15 February 1759) was a Flemish sculptor, architect and art educator, who is best known for the church furniture which he made for the principal churches in Flanders.

,Alexander van Papenhoven
at the

Abraham Breusegem, Emanuel Cuekelaere, Peeter Coelemans, Just Wiedewelt (father of sculptor

Johannes Wiedewelt Johannes Wiedewelt (1 July 1731 – 17 December 1802), Danish neoclassical sculptor. He became a court sculptor, introducing neoclassical ideals to Denmark in the form of palace decorations, garden sculptures and artifacts and, especially, mem ...

and probably Andreas Gercken. In order to simplify production he imported some partially carved pieces, especially architectural pieces, from the Southern Netherlands. While he was very successful in obtaining private commissions, he only received few commissions from the royal court and he was never named sculptor to the royal court. Up until 1697 he lived in

Aabenraa Aabenraa (; , ; Sønderjysk: ''Affenråe'') is a town in Southern Denmark, at the head of the Aabenraa Fjord, an arm of the Little Belt, north of the Denmark–Germany border and north of German town of Flensburg. It was the seat of Sønder ...

, after which he acquired residential property in Norgesgade, now known as

Bredgade Bredgade ( lit. "Broad Street") is one of the most prominent streets in Copenhagen, Denmark. Running in a straight line from Kongens Nytorv for just under one kilometre to the intersection of Esplanaden and Grønningen, it is one of the major stre ...

, in Copenhagen. His assistants Breusegem and Cuekelaere executed in 1697 the sculptures for the altar at Our Saviour's Church (''Vor Frelsers Kirke''), Copenhagen after Quellinus' design. On 6 October 1701 Quellinus was one of a group of respected artists to send a petition to King Frederick IV requesting approval for the formation of an artist society and teaching academy. The others were

Hendrick Krock Hendrick Krock (21 July 1671 – 18 November 1738) was a Danish history painter who, from 1706, was the court painter of Frederick IV as well as his successor Christian VI. Along with Benoit Le Coffre set the tone for history painting in Denmark ...

, Wilchen Riboldt,

Jacob Coning Jacob Coning or Jacob Koninck II (c. 1647 – 16 July 1724) was a Dutch-Danish painter who was painter to the Danish Court. He was one of the first painters in Denmark to specialize in topographical painting, continuing the tradition from Dutc ...

, Otto de Willarts, and Georg Saleman — all artists in the service of the court. This was the humble beginning to the formation of the

Royal Danish Academy of Art The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts ( da, Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi - Billedkunst Skolerne) has provided education in the arts for more than 250 years, playing its part in the development of the art of Denmark. History The Royal Dani ...

(''Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi'') many years later. After 1701 he regularly visited

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,

, and was in the Southern Netherlands in 1704. He received citizenship in Copenhagen as a sculptor on 12 December 1703, along with royal permission to run a commercial enterprise selling lace from

Brabant Brabant is a traditional geographical region (or regions) in the Low Countries of Europe. It may refer to: Place names in Europe * London-Brabant Massif, a geological structure stretching from England to northern Germany Belgium * Province of Bra ...

. He returned permanently to Antwerp in 1707, and became a master in the city's

Guild of St Luke The Guild of Saint Luke was the most common name for a city guild for painters and other artists in early modern Europe, especially in the Low Countries. They were named in honor of the Evangelist Luke, the patron saint of artists, who was identi ...

. He died in Antwerp and was buried on 7 September 1709. His widow, Anna Marie, survived him, and it is believed that she continued his workshop's production for some years with a couple of assistants. She also continued until 1711 the commercial enterprise selling lace.

Aftermath

Much of his work has not survived or has been partially destroyed by either fire, war or the general ravages of time. This includes the Schack tomb at Trinity Church, which originally brought Quellinus to Denmark, which was already partially destroyed in the

Copenhagen Fire of 1728 The Copenhagen Fire of 1728 was the largest fire in the history of Copenhagen, Denmark. It began on the evening of 20 October 1728 and continued to burn until the morning of 23 October. It destroyed approximately 28% of the city (measured by coun ...

. His almost seventeen years in Denmark had a significant impact on the development of Danish sculpture, and especially memorial sculpture. Many of the next generation's best sculptors were his students.

Other works

* The baroque high

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

(1697) in Lübeck's St. Mary's Church called the "''Fredenhagen-altar''" after its donator, Lübeck merchant Thomas Fredenhagen. The altar was destroyed during the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

bomb raid on Lübeck, and fragments of the altar were stored.. There have been discussions, as to whether it should be rebuilt. A

bust Bust commonly refers to: * A woman's breasts * Bust (sculpture), of head and shoulders * An arrest Bust may also refer to: Places *Bust, Bas-Rhin, a city in France *Lashkargah, Afghanistan, known as Bust historically Media * ''Bust'' (magazine ...

of Fredenhagen is in Lübeck's St. Annen Museum, along with the model of the altar. * The tomb for Prince Bishop August Friedrich von Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp, and the tomb chapel for the Danish chancellor Johann Hugo von Lente' (1640–1716) in the

Lübeck Cathedral Lübeck Cathedral (german: Dom zu Lübeck, or colloquially ''Lübecker Dom'') is a large brick-built Lutheran cathedral in Lübeck, Germany and part of the Lübeck World Heritage Site. It was started in 1173 by Henry the Lion as a cathedral for ...

(''Lübeck Dom'') * The tomb and chapel for the noble von Brockdorff family in 'Kletkamp Manor' in Nüchel Church (''Kirchnüchel'') near

Plön Plön (; Holsatian: ''Plöön'') is the district seat of the Plön district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and has about 8,700 inhabitants. It lies right on the shores of Schleswig-Holstein's biggest lake, the Great Plön Lake, as well as on ...

Holstein Holstein (; nds, label=Northern Low Saxon, Holsteen; da, Holsten; Latin and historical en, Holsatia, italic=yes) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of German ...

, Quellinus's last major work * The

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek ...

for Danish Chancellor

Conrad von Reventlow Conrad, Count von Reventlow (21 April 1644 – 21 July 1708) was a Danish statesman who was "Grand Chancellor of Denmark" ( da, Danmarks storkansler), a predecessor title of the Prime Minister of Denmark, from 1699 until his death. His chancello ...

in the

Schleswig Cathedral Schleswig Cathedral (german: Schleswiger Dom, da, Slesvig Domkirke) officially the Cathedral of St. Peter at Schleswig (german: St. Petri-Dom zu Schleswig), is the main church of the city of Schleswig and was the cathedral of the Bishop of Schle ...

(''Schleswig Dom'') * The memorials for Axel Urup, Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve and Cort Adeler in Our Lady Church (''Vor Frue Kirke''), Copenhagen * The memorial for Niels Rosenkrantz (d. 1676) in Nicholas Church (''Nicolai Kirke''), * The memorials for Constantin Marselis-Casius-Rodstun in Aarhus Cathedral ('' Aarhus Domkirke''),

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...

, Denmark (1702–1704) * The monuments for

Thomas Kingo Thomas Hansen Kingo (15 December 1634 – 14 October 1703 Odense) was a Danish bishop, poet and hymn-writer born at Slangerup, near Copenhagen. His work marked the high point of Danish baroque poetry. His father was a weaver of modest means ...

Slangerup Slangerup is a town in Frederikssund Municipality, about 30 km north-west of central Copenhagen, in the Capital Region of Denmark. The town of Slangerup The town was established by the Viking Slangir at the time of Harald Bluetooth. King Eri ...

and on

Funen Funen ( da, Fyn, ), with an area of , is the third-largest island of Denmark, after Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy. It is the 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 469,947 as of ...

* Two of the five marble busts, those of Christian Albrecht and of Duke Frederik IV in Schleswig Cathedral are presumed, with good reason, to be the work of Quellinus * Sculptures for the gardens at

Frederiksborg Palace Frederiksborg Castle ( da, Frederiksborg Slot) is a palatial complex in Hillerød, Denmark. It was built as a royal residence for King Christian IV of Denmark-Norway in the early 17th century, replacing an older castle acquired by Frederick II ...

* Sculptures for Christian Albrecht's

Gottorp Castle Gottorf Castle (german: Schloss Gottorf, da, Gottorp Slot, Low German: ''Gottorp'') is a castle and estate in the city of Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is one of the most important secular buildings in Schleswig-Holstein, and ha ...

Notes

External links

*
Danish Biographical Encyclopedia ("''Dansk biografisk Leksikion''")
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quellinus, Thomas 1661 births 1709 deaths Artists from Antwerp Danish Baroque sculptors Flemish Baroque sculptors Painters from Antwerp Belgian expatriates in Denmark