Louis Royer

He was born in Mechelen where he first studied at the local Academy and from 1810 in the studio of Jan Frans van Geel.

He worked in an area close to the Spanish Steps where he must have been in contact with Bertel Thorvaldsen and the studio of Antonio Canova, who was already deceased but whose workshop with his pupils was still operational.

[1][3] In 1827 Royer returned from Rome and settled in The Hague, an important artistic centre after the royal family had moved there from Amsterdam.

He was soon appointed court sculptor and he made portraits of all members of the royal family in busts of marble.

After moving to Amsterdam in 1837, Royer received many public commissions for statues of leading personalities from Dutch history, such as the statues of Rembrandt and Joost van den Vondel in Amsterdam, William the Silent in The Hague and Michiel de Ruyter in Vlissingen.

Royer's work received wide public recognition and he was given a Royal award three times.

[6] He trained many pupils including August Allebé, David Adolph Constant Artz, Hein Burgers, Gottlob Christoph Jacob Fischer, Eduard François Georges, S. van der Goen, Jozef Israëls, Cornelis Nicolaas Looman, Johan Philip Menger, Eduard Roskam, Theo Simons, Hendrik D. Jzn Sluyter, Johan Hendrik Stöver, Joseph Tuerlinckx and Elisabeth Verwoert.