Jan Baptist Xavery
He likely arrived in The Hague in 1721 where he is recorded as paying in June 1721 his half master's money as a sculptor to the local artists' guild, the Confrerie Pictura.
[7] In 1633, he was one of the artists who worked under the direction of Daniel Marot on the refurbishment of Huis ten Bosch, the residence in The Hague of William IV of Orange-Nassau, the Prince of Orange who later became the Stadtholder.
He also interceded on behalf of Jacob de Wit for a commission to paint a chimney piece, the frame for which was carved by Xavery.
He reportedly injured himself while placing this statue of Mars and not long after on 19 July 1742 he died in his native city of Antwerp where he was staying with family.
[1] He was well connected with the literary and artistic circles of his time and his friends included Lambert ten Kate, Hubert Poot, Jacob de Wit, Balthasar Denner and Olof Arenius.
The Flemish sculptor Johannes Franciscus Maes was a collaborator in his workshop and would continue to work in the Dutch Republic after his death.
[11] Even in his early career he showed an interest in developing his own style as shown in the Group of three children, allegory of Summer of 1726 (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam).
[11] His style remained generally closer to Classicism then Rococo, which was likely related to the fact that most of his commissions were made for aristocratic residences or funeral monuments.
[5] One of his chimney pieces made for the residence in The Hague of Diederik Baron van Leyden is now in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
There are two drawings by his friend and frequent collaborator Jacob de Wit that probably served as designs or sources of inspiration for the relief.
De Wit's artistic influence on Xavery sheds an interesting light on their working relationship in Leiden.
One impressive work is the marble bust of Don Luis da Cunha, ambassador of Portugal (1737, Rijksmuseum).
Xavery made bust portraits of other prominent personalities such as William VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, Frederick I of Sweden, the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy.
[14] Xavery also made a portrait bust of François Fagel, an important personality who served as servant of the States General for more than sixty years.
These include the funeral monuments of Johannes Graaf von Lilljenstedt (1732) in the Marienkirche in Stralsund, Johan Theodorus baron von Friesheim (1733) in the Grote of Sint-Catharinakerk in Heusden, Sicco van Goslinga (1737) in the Hervormde kerk in Dongjum and Count Oswald III van den Bergh (1741) in the Sint Petrusbasiliek in Boxmeer.
Some of the funeral monuments such as that of Reinhart Vincent von Hompesch in Linnich have been lost while of that of Johan van Welderen only the bust portrait has survived.
