Lodewijk Willemsens

[7] Quellinus was the leading Flemish sculptor whose Baroque style had a major influence on the development of sculpture in Northern Europe.

[8] Lodewijk is thought to have helped Quellinus in Amsterdam as a journeyman in his service and this is likely the reason why he delayed his admission as a master in the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke.

Through their work in Paderborn, the Willemsens brother gave an important impetus to the spread of Baroque art in Northern Germany.

His style is characterized by a sensual expressiveness which is close to Van Dyck's emotionally charged treatment of religious subjects.

[4] This is evidenced in the symbolic personifications of Catholic doctrine decorating the pulpit of the Church of St James in Antwerp, and in the figures of saints in the choir stalls of the former Cistercian Abbey of St. Bernard in Hemiksem.

He was initially a frequent collaborator of his presumed master Artus Quellinus the Elder, contributing in particular to the Amsterdam new City Hall decorations.

They were the workshops of the families Quellinus, van den Eynde, Kerricx, Scheemaeckers and Verbrugghen with whom Willemsens also formed an informal partnership.

[9] Willemsens collaborated between 1683 and 1688 with Norbert van den Eynde on an altarpiece dedicated to St Catherine for the oudekleerkopers guild in the cathedral of Antwerp.