Mechelen St Katelijnekerk pulpit detail 02

Pieter Valckx (1 March 1734,

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 ...

– 3 May 1785, Mechelen) 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. He is mainly known for church furniture in the churches in Mechelen. He was one of the last representatives of the Flemish

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

.Iris Kockelbergh. "Valckx, Pieter."
Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 17 October 2020

Life

Valckx was the son of a painter and trained in Mechelen with the sculptors

Theodoor Verhaegen Theodoor Verhaegen (4 June 1700 – 25 July 1759) was an 18th-century Flemish sculptor. His woodcarvings are known for its baroque expression. Biography He was born in Mechelen as the son of the sculptor Rombout Verhaegen.

and Jan Baptist Mooriaen. He then continued his studies at the

Academy of Fine Arts The following is a list of notable art schools. Accredited non-profit art and design colleges * Adelaide Central School of Art * Alberta College of Art and Design * Art Academy of Cincinnati * Art Center College of Design * The Art Institute ...

in Antwerp. He also attended classes in the studio of Alexander Franciscus Schobbens. On his return to Mechelen in 1761 he became a master sculptor. In 1780 he became dean of the

Guild of Saint Luke The Guild of Saint Luke was the most common name for a city guild for painters and other artists in early modern Europe, especially in the Low Countries. They were named in honor of the Evangelist Luke, the patron saint of artists, who was iden ...

of Mechelen.Pieter Valckx Religious sculptor from Mechelen
on Mechelen Mapt His pupils included Jan Frans van Geel, who had a brilliant career, en Jan Baptist Turner.

Work

The majority of Valckx's works consists of church furniture, which shows the influence of his teacher Theodoor Verhaegen in its naturalistic detail as well as of the school of

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish painting, Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged comp ...

. He produced many pieces of church furnishings after designs by Verhaegen, such as the main altar (1768) in the Church of St John the Baptist and Evangelist in Mechelen and the pulpit (1774) of the St. Catherine Church in Mechelen.

Selected works

Mechelen

* St. Rumbold's Cathedral: Statue of St. Mark and medallions of St. Augustine and St. Norbert (1750), which were originally placed in the Church of Our Lady of Leliendaal, Mechelen. * St. Catherine Church: The pulpit (1774), which shows Verhaegen's influence. * Church of St John the Baptist and Evangelist: The panels carved in relief (1784) of the choir stalls, the organ case (designed by Verhaegen) and the stalls in the western tower are regarded as his finest work, displaying a feeling for naturalistic detail in the tradition of his teacher Verhaegen. In the period 1768-1769 Pieter Valckx incorporated the

triptych A triptych ( ) is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divided into three sections, or three carved panels that are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all m ...

of the ''Adoration of the Magi'' painted by Peter Paul Rubens in 1617 into the new main altar. Valckx further executed the altar in the sacrament chapel designed by the painter

Willem Jacob Herreyns Willem Jacob HerreynsName variations: Guillaume Jacques Herreyns, Willem Jacob Herreijns, Willem Jacob Herrijns, Willem Jacob Herryns, Guillaume Jacques Herreijns (Antwerp, 10 June 1743 – Antwerp, 10 August 1827) was a Flemish painter of histor ...

. * Our Lady of the Dijle Church: the pulpit and a statue of the Apostle Philip. * Floats: Pieter Valckx and Willem Jacob Herreyns were commissioned by the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

in Mechelen to design a series of floats on the occasion of the celebrations for the thousandth anniversary of the city's patron saint

Rumbold of Mechelen Saint Rumbold (or ''Rumold'', ''Romuold''; ; ; ; many variants overall) was an Irish or Scottish Christian missionary, although his true nationality is not known for certain. He was martyred near Mechelen by two men, whom he had denounced for th ...

in 1775. They designed the floats together and also designed the triumphal arches. It is not clear whether the floats were effectively used in the celebrations as the Jesuit order was dissolved in 1773 and the event was then organized by the rival order of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri, Oratorians.

Outside Mechelen

* St. Peter's Church in Meerbeke: The pulpit, representing a Nativity Scene (1773) * St. Amand's Church in Geel: The confessionals * St. Gertrude Church in Ternat: The Baroque pulpit is a work of Pieter Valckx’ workshop (1779) * St. Germanus Church in Tienen: The pulpit (1760) * St. Catherine Church in Brussels: The pulpit (originally in the St. Rumbold's Cathedral in Mechelen)Pulpit in the St. Catherine Church in Brussels
/ref> Bxgraf30.jpg, Brussels Bruxelles kosciol sw Katarzyny 07.jpg, Brussels St-Germanuskerk (Tienen) - Preekstoel (Detail).jpg, Tienen PM 141942 B Meerbeke.jpg, Meerbeke PM 141955 B Meerbeke.jpg, Meerbeke

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Valckx, Pieter 1734 births 1785 deaths Flemish Baroque sculptors Artists from Mechelen Artists from the Austrian Netherlands