Alexander Colyn (also spelt Colin or Colins; 1527 or 152917 August 1612) was a

Flemish Flemish may refer to: * Flemish, adjective for Flanders, Belgium * Flemish region, one of the three regions of Belgium *Flemish Community, one of the three constitutionally defined language communities of Belgium * Flemish dialects, a Dutch dialec ...

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

Biography

Colyn was born in

Mechelen Mechelen (; ; historically known as ''Mechlin'' in EnglishMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical context. T ...

Habsburg Netherlands Habsburg Netherlands were the parts of the Low Countries that were ruled by sovereigns of the Holy Roman Empire's House of Habsburg. This rule began in 1482 and ended for the Northern Netherlands in 1581 and for the Southern Netherlands in 1797. ...

. In 1563 he went, at the invitation of the emperor Ferdinand I, to

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...

, to work on the magnificent monument which was being erected to Maximilian I in the nave of the Franciscan church. Of the twenty-four

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

altirilievi (high reliefs), representing the emperors principal acts and victories, which adorn the sides of this tomb, twenty were executed by Colyn, apparently in three years. The work displays a remarkable combination of liveliness and spirit with extreme care and finish, its delicacy rivaling that of a fine cameo.

Bertel Thorvaldsen Albert Bertel Thorvaldsen (; sometimes given as Thorwaldsen; 19 November 1770 – 24 March 1844) was a Danes, Danish-Icelanders, Icelandic Sculpture, sculptor and medallist, medalist of international fame, who spent most of his life (1797–183 ...

is said to have pronounced it the finest work of its kind. Colyn, who was sculptor in ordinary both to the emperor and to his son, the

archduke Archduke (feminine: Archduchess; German: ''Erzherzog'', feminine form: ''Erzherzogin'') was the title borne from 1358 by the Habsburg rulers of the Archduchy of Austria, and later by all senior members of that dynasty. It denotes a rank within ...

Ferdinand of Tirol, did a great deal of work for his patrons at Innsbruck and in its neighborhood; particular mention may be made of the

sepulcher A tomb ( ''tumbos'') or sepulchre () is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called ''immurement'', althou ...

s of the archduke and his first wife,

Philippine Welser Philippine Welser (1527 – 24 April 1580) was the morganatic wife of Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria. She was granted the titles Baroness of Zinnenburg, Margravine of Burgau, Landgravine of Mellenburg and Countess of Oberhohenberg and Ni ...

, both in the same church as the Maximilian monument, and of Bishop Jean Nas. His wife Maria de Vleeschouwer's tomb is by his hand and dated 1594.Alexander Colyn
in the

RKD The Netherlands Institute for Art History or RKD (Dutch: ), previously Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), is located in The Hague and is home to the largest art history center in the world. The center specializes in document ...

His own tomb in the cemetery at Innsbruck bears a fine

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

executed by one of his sons. In Innsbruck, between 1566 and 1590, he also made the so-called Royal Mausoleum for St. Vitus Cathedral at

Prague Castle Prague Castle (; ) is a castle complex in Prague, Czech Republic serving as the official residence and workplace of the president of the Czech Republic. Built in the 9th century, the castle has long served as the seat of power for List of rulers ...

. It is a marble tomb, where are depicted and buried members of the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

: emperor Ferdinand I with his wife

Anna of Bohemia and Hungary Anna of Bohemia and Hungary (23 July 1503 – 27 January 1547), sometimes known as Anna Jagellonica, was Queen of Germany, Bohemia, and Hungary and Archduchess of Austria as the wife of King Ferdinand I (later Holy Roman Emperor). Early ...

and their son emperor Maximilian II. He is credited with bringing the

artistic style In the visual arts, style is a "...distinctive manner which permits the grouping of works into related categories" or "...any distinctive, and therefore recognizable, way in which an act is performed or an artifact made or ought to be performed a ...

of European courts to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, where from 1558 to 1559 he managed the sculpting of the Ottheinrichsbau (German, ''Ottheinrich palace'' or simply ''building'') in

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

. He contributed to the tombs of Ferdinand II, which he designed, and of Maximilian I, where he sculpted a number of marble

reliefs Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

Students

Colleagues and students in his workshop in Innsbruck were his son Andreas Colyn, also known as Andreas de Clievere, Hans Conrad, Dominik Farent, and Franz Perwon.

Works

Image:Innsbruck 1 315.jpg, Alexander Colyn,

cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty grave, tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere or have been lost. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although t ...

of Maximilian I, marble relief based on wood carvings by Albrecht Dürer Image:Innsbruck 1 314.jpg, Alexander Colyn,

of Maximilian I, marble relief based on wood carvings by Albrecht Dürer Image:Innsbruck 1 313.jpg, Alexander Colyn,

of Maximilian I, marble relief based on wood carvings by Albrecht Dürer Image:Innsbruck 1 312.jpg, Alexander Colyn,

of Maximilian I, marble relief based on wood carvings by Albrecht Dürer Image:Innsbruck 1 310.jpg, Alexander Colyn,

of Maximilian I, marble relief based on wood carvings by Albrecht Dürer Image:Innsbruck 1 309.jpg, Alexander Colyn,

of Maximilian I, marble relief based on wood carvings by Albrecht Dürer Image:GrabFerdinand I Maximilian II Anna 1.JPG, Alexander Colyn, Royal Mausoleum at

, tomb of Ferdinand I,

Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna of East Anglia, King (died c.654) * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th c ...

and Maximilian II.

References

External links

Antique book link
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colyn, Alexander 1520s births 1612 deaths Artists from Mechelen Flemish sculptors (before 1830) People from the Spanish Netherlands

Biography

Students

Works

See also

References

Further reading

External links