Alexander van Papenhoven

[3] His oeuvre stands at the juncture in Flemish sculpture when the flamboyance of the High Baroque gave way to Classicism which emphasized the clarity of design.

The Guild experienced serious financial difficulties and the Antwerp Academy had to interrupt its art classes regularly due to lack of funds.

The support of these artists permitted the Academy to raise funds from prominent personalities in the city which ensured its survival.

[3] In 1742 van Papenhoven was commissioned to make a new pulpit for Antwerp Cathedral, which he finished to universal acclaim.

The dispute was only settled in 1749 when the Guild renounced all its rights to control the Academy and to teach the drawing classes.

Other pupils include Peeter Overlaet, Augustinus op de Laye, Jacobus Brunel, Joannes-Franciscus Allefelt (Alevelt), Jan Baptist van den Her(d)t, Andreas Schuyf, Philippus Delvout, Ignatius Frans Verellen and Arnoldus-Johannes van den Bos.

[1] Van Papenhoven was a versatile sculptor who worked in many materials including marble, wood and stucco.

His work stands at the juncture in Flemish sculpture when the flamboyance of the High Baroque gave way to Classicism which was more concerned with clarity of design.

[2] It was believed in the past that van Papenhoven worked on the decoration of the Palace of Sanssouci built between 1745 and 1747 for Frederick the Great in Potsdam.

[7] Van Papenhoven also sculpted a number of statues of the Virgin Mary that were attached to the facades of houses in Antwerp.

The statue shows a swaggeringly draped Virgin holding the child Jesus on her left arm.