Rombout Verhulst

Flemish sculptor Verhulst (1624-1698) studied under sculptors Rombout Verstappen and Frans van Loo in his native Malines, before working for many years in the Northern Netherlands. He probably visited Italy around 1650, drawing inspiration from Classical sculpture and the work of Michelangelo. Between 1654 and 1663, he worked for the famous Flemish sculptor Artus Quellinus on the decorations for Amsterdam’s new town hall, currently a royal palace, on Dam Square.

Later, Verhulst moved to Leiden and then on to The Hague, where he received commissions for public buildings and tombs. When Quellinus returned to Antwerp, Verhulst remained the principal sculptor in the Netherlands. His patrons among the country’s wealthy families commissioned busts, tombs, ivory carvings and garden statuary. Rombout Verhulst died in 1698 in The Hague.