Rombout Verhulst (15 January 1624 – buried 27 November 1698) was a Flemish

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 ...

and draughtsman who spent most of his career in the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands ...

. An independent assistant of the Flemish sculptor Artus Quellinus the Elder in the sculptural decoration project for the new

town hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

in Amsterdam, he contributed to the spread of the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style in Dutch sculpture. He became the leading sculptor of marble monuments, including funerary monuments, garden figures and portraits, in the Dutch Republic.Rombout Verhulst, ''Virgin and Child''
at the

Rijksmuseum The Rijksmuseum () is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history and is located in Amsterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough of Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the S ...

Life

Rombout Verhulst was born in

Mechelen Mechelen (; ; historically known as ''Mechlin'' in EnglishMechelen 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 context. T ...

, where he studied with the sculptors Rombout Verstappen en Frans van Loo and possibly also Lucas Faydherbe, a prominent sculptor and architect from Mechelen.Cynthia Lawrence. "Verhulst, Rombout."
Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 5 July 2021. It is assumed that between 1646 and 1654 he made a trip to

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. In 1646 he moved to

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

, where he worked on the decoration of the new

as a member of the workshop n Amsterdam of the Flemish sculptor Artus Quellinus the Elder, the leading Flemish Baroque sculptor of his time. 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 municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

in Amsterdam together with the lead architect Jacob van Campen. Now called the Royal Palace on the

Dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

, 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 Flemish sculptors to assist him in the realisation of this project. Many of these collaborators such as his cousin Artus Quellinus II,

Bartholomeus Eggers Bartholomeus Eggers (c. 1637Bartholomeus Eggers
at the

and Gabriël Grupello would become leading sculptors in their own right. 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.Helena Bussers, ''De baroksculptuur en het barok''
at Openbaar Kunstbezit Vlaanderen Verhulst held an independent position among Quellinus' co-workers as is apparent from the fact that he was the only one to individually sign works in this project. He also employed his own assistants such as the Flemish sculptor Nicolaes Millich.Nicolas Millich
at the

Netherlands Institute for Art History The Netherlands Institute for Art History or RKD (Dutch: ), previously Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), is located in The Hague and is home to the largest art history center in the world. The center specializes in document ...

At the Amsterdam town hall, he is known to have executed the reliefs of ''Venus'', ''Fidelity'' and ''Silence'' for the galleries and terracotta studies for the bronze doors of the '' Vierschaar''.Sheila D. Muller, ''Dutch Art: An Encyclopedia'', Routledge, 4 July 2013, p. 432 In 1663, Verhulst worked in Leiden as an independent master and completed works on municipal buildings and his first funeral monuments. He then moved to The Hague around 1664 and built a network of private patrons in which the van Reygersbergh family played a pivotal role. In 1663 Verhulst completed a funeral monument for Maria van Reygersbergh in the church of Katwijk-Binnen. This was the first private commission for this type of work in the second half of the 17th century. His patronage shifted gradually from Amsterdam to

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

. He died, aged 74, in

. He was the teacher of Jan Blommendael and Jan Ebbelaer.Rombout Verhulst
at the

Work

Rombout Verhulst is best known for his many tomb monuments, but he made also portrait busts, garden sculptures and small-scale works in ivory. Rombout Verhulst - Bust of Jacob van Reygersberg

Rombout Verhulst - Bust of Jacob van Reygersberg

His portrait oeuvre is rather small, which demonstrates that there was only a limited market for portrait sculptures in the Dutch Republic.Frits Scholten, ''"Mea Sorte Contentus": Rombout Verhulst's Portrait of Jacob van Reygersberg'', in: 'The J. Paul Getty Museum Journal: Volume 19, 1991', The J. Paul Getty Museum Getty Pub, p. 65-74 One of his best-known portraits is the marble bust of Jacob van Reygersbergh dated 1671, now in the

Getty Museum The J. Paul Getty Museum, commonly referred to as the Getty, is an art museum in Los Angeles, California, United States, housed on two campuses: the Getty Center and Getty Villa. It is operated by the J. Paul Getty Trust, the world's wealthies ...

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. A terracotta study for this work is in the Rijksmuseum and it differs from the marble version only in details. This portrait bust shows Verhulst's virtuosity and the naturalism of his style. He removed any tendency to idealize the sitter in this work. An important portrait bust attributed to Verhulst is that of Antonio Lopes Suasso, a leading Jewish merchant and banker in Amsterdam. This works was earlier attributed to Quellinus but is now given to Verhulst on stylistic grounds.Isaac Israel Suasso, alias Antonio Lopes Suasso (1614-1685), Baron van Avernas Le Gras, bankier, koopman, 1675 - 1695, toegeschreven aan Rombout Verhulst (1624-01-15 - 1698)
at the Rijksmuseum In his terracotta portraits he was able to create a living presence through his sensitive handling of the physiognomy and a correct evocation of the sitter's personality. Verhulst is mainly remembered for this many tomb monuments for private and public patrons. His funeral monument for Maria van Reygersbergh of 1663 established his reputation in this area with its new and imposing style. He made many church monuments erected to commemorate Dutch naval heroes. His chief work in this area (though possibly not his most successful creation) is the decorated tomb of the Dutch naval hero

Michiel de Ruyter Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter (; 24 March 1607 – 29 April 1676) was a Dutch States Navy officer. His achievements with the Dutch navy during the Anglo-Dutch Wars earned him the reputation as one of the most skilled naval commanders in ...

in the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam. Another important tomb monument was that of Carl Hieronymus Baron van In- en Kniphuizen and Anna van Ewsum made for the Dutch Reformed church in Midwolde. It was made at the request of the widow of the Baron and was one of the few private commissions for tomb monuments in the Dutch Republic. It is a variation on the traditional double tomb, which combines two figures, the recumbent dead person, and the other living one raised on an elbow. The widow Anna van Ewsum takes centre stage by gazing straight at the viewer. A statue of the second husband of the widow made by

Bartholomeus Eggers Bartholomeus Eggers (c. 1637Bartholomeus Eggers
at the

was later added to the tomb replacing two putti holding ''memento mori'' symbols.F. Scholten (2003
''Sumptuous Memories, Studies in seventeenth-century Dutch tomb sculpture''
Zwolle: Waanders. In addition to the monumental commissions he completed, Verhulst made small-scale ivory carvings, a specialty for which his home town Mechelen was particularly known. A small ivory ''Virgin and Child'' held in the

shows his skill in this regard. He has carved the thick, wavy locks of hair of the chubby Christ Child and the heavy drapery with such realism that they appear almost tangible. Although his style was indebted to Artus Quellinus, he did not completely adopt Quellinus' classicist tendencies. Verhulst's work is warmer in conception and executed with greater refinement and therein resembles more that of the Antwerp sculptors from the circle of

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish painting, Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged comp ...

, including Johannes van Mildert and Lucas Faydherbe. His work was usually more realistic than that of Quellinus and is less dramatic.

Selected works

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and the swan" and portrayals of Modesty and Fidelity (ca. 1654), galleries of the Amsterdam city hall in

*Decorated tomb of Jan van Galen (About 1655), the New Church in

. The design is by Artus Quellinus, the sea-battle scene is by Willem de Keyser. *The tomb of Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp (Completed 1656), the Oude Kerk in

Delft Delft () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam, to the southeast, ...

. The design is probably by Jacob van Campen and the sea-battle scene by Willem de Keyser. *Sculpture on the facade of the

Waag WAAG ( FM 94.9 MHz), known as FM 95, is a radio station licensed for Galesburg, Illinois, United States. The station is owned by Galesburg Broadcasting Company. The station has a country music Country (also called country and western ...

(1657),

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*Relief representing the plague in the form of a Fury (1660), above the gate of the plague house in

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 ...

for Pieter van der Werff (1661), Hooglandse Church, Leiden *A lion above the gate at the base of the Burcht at Leiden (1662) *Tomb of Willem van Lyere and Maria van Reigersberch, Dorpskerk at

Katwijk aan den Rijn Katwijk aan den Rijn (Katwijk on the Rhine) is a town in the municipality of Katwijk in the province of South Holland, in The Netherlands, with approximately 6020 inhabitants. Katwijk aan den Rijn lies between Katwijk aan Zee, Valkenburg and R ...

*Tomb for Johan Polyander Kerkhoven (1663),

Pieterskerk, Leiden The Pieterskerk is a late-Gothic architecture, Gothic Protestant Church in the Netherlands, Dutch Protestant church in Leiden dedicated to Saint Peter. It is known today as the church of the Pilgrim Fathers, where the pastor John Robinson (pas ...

*Tomb of Carel Hieronymus van In- and Kniphuisen (1665–69) in the church at Midwolde *Epitaph for Hendrick Thibaut and his wife and daughter (1669) in the church of Aagtekerke *Epitaph for schout-bij-nacht Willem van der Zaen (1670) in Amsterdam *Epitaph for Theodor Graswinckel (1670), Grote Kerk at

the Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

*Epitaph for Johannes of Gheel (ca. 1670), church at Spanbroek *Tomb for Adriaan Clant (1672), church at Stedum *Epitaph for Isaac Sweers (1674), Oude Kerk at Amsterdam *Tomb monument of Hieronymus Hieronymus van Tuyll van Serooskerken (ca. 1675), church at Stavenisse *Tomb of lieutenant-admiral Willem Joseph van Ghent (1676), Domkerk in

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

. *Tomb of

(completed 1681), Nieuwe Kerk in

*Tomb monument for Johan and Cornelis Evertsen (1680–82), Wandelkerk in Middelburg

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Verhulst, Rombout 1624 births 1698 deaths Flemish Baroque sculptors Ivory carvers Artists from Mechelen Dutch male sculptors