Young Woman

Entry

In 1607, the English sculptor Nicholas Stone (1587-1647) arrived in Amsterdam in the company of the Dutch sculptor Hendrick de Keyser I (1565-1621), who was himself returning from a study trip to London.² Stone worked for a time in De Keyser’s atelier and married his master’s daughter, Maria, in 1613. In the same year, he returned to permanently settle in London, where he made considerable name as a sculptor of tomb monuments, even working for the English royal court for a period of several years. After leaving Amsterdam, he remained in contact and collaborated with various Northern Netherlandish sculptors, including Bernhard Janssen, Nicolaes Janssen,³ Jan Schoerman, as well as Willem and Hendrick de Keyser II, both sons of his father-in-law.⁴ Stone’s presence in Amsterdam is again documented in the year 1623, as he is named as a witness at the baptism of the son of his sister-in-law, Mechtelt de Keyser, in the Oude Kerk.⁵

Much uncertainty exists regarding Stone’s work during his period in the Northern Netherlands. Although his collaboration with his father-in-law was undoubtedly intensive, all of his most important works were made only after his return to England. Neurdenburg attributed a number of works in the Netherlands to Nicholas Stone. The picture that emerges, however, reveals little stylistic cohesion, with the attribution therefore unconvincing.⁶ The wall memorial for Jacob van der Dussen (completed in 1614, Oude Kerk, Delft) appears most probably to be a work by Stone. Citing similarities to his documented works in England, Neurdenburg also attributed the present terracotta Young Woman to Stone, describing it as a work made during his period in the Northern Netherlands.⁷

The present statuette displays several characteristics that can indeed be convincingly linked to Stone’s style: the exaggerated physical proportions – short upper body with long legs, small head with long neck – the mannerist contrapposto, the ‘dented’ folds of the draperies and the serrated hems of the dress and sleeves. In specific terms, the Young Woman is comparable to the personification of Grammar on Stone’s tomb monument for Sir Thomas Bodley (Merton College Chapel, Oxford), and the personifications on the tomb monument for Thomas Sutton (chapel of the Charterhouse, London).⁸ Also striking is the similarity to two angels on the epitaph for John Law (chapel of the Charterhouse, London).⁹ All of these works date from 1615 and are therefore among Stone’s earliest works executed on his own.¹⁰ In this light, the observed correspondence with these works would support a dating of the present terracotta to Stone’s initial years after returning to London. Yet the presumed sale of the terracotta in Amsterdam in the1930s, when purchased by the eminent art historian Van Regteren Altena, may give reason to suggest this is not the case.¹¹ Also at issue are apparent parallels to the crowning female figures on the Van der Dussen epitaph.¹² If indeed the Young Woman is a work predating Stone’s return to London, then it is one of the earliest known terracotta models made in the Northern Netherlands, together with Hendrick de Keyser’s model for the tomb monument of William of Orange in Delft (BK-AM-37).

The inflected drapery folds of the terracotta Young Woman are clearly reminiscent of Hendrick de Keyser’s style. The figure’s elongated physical portions and contrapposto, however, reflect Italian influences and specifically a notable correspondence to the bellissima maniera espoused by a number of cinquecento sculptors in Venice, including Vittoria, Campagna and Aspetti.¹³ With no existing documentation to confirm Stone Sr. journeyed to Italy, one may assume he was familiar with this elegant Venetian style via plaster models and bronzes.

The lack of attributes on the present terracotta statuette precludes any conclusion as to whether it was made with a specific religious or allegorical meaning in mind. It can perhaps be interpreted as general study model, adapted by the sculptor to convey a variety of meanings depending on the context and the desired attributes. Yet it could also be a model for a crowning figure on the portal or façade of a girls’ orphanage or some other public institution.¹⁴ In any event, the Young Woman appears to have been designed for a larger sculptural ensemble, as suggested in part by the somewhat averted pose.

Frits Scholten, 2025