Guillielmus de Grof

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Guillielmus de Grof (baptized November 13, 1676 in Antwerp , † August 16, 1742 in Munich ) was a sculptor of Flemish origin. He held the position of the leading rococo court sculptor at the Bavarian royal court under Maximilian II Emanuel and Karl Albrecht .

Triton child riding a dolphin, (1722), in the great hall of the Badenburg in Nymphenburger Park (Munich)

Life

Grof was the third child from the marriage of the wagon maker of the same name to Anna Bulens. At the age of twelve he became an apprentice in a sculpture workshop in Antwerp. Around 1700 he went to Paris to further develop his artistic skills. He was probably already working for the French royal family in 1708. Around 1714 Grof met the Elector Max Emanuel, in whose service he was from the end of 1714. The elector called him to Munich, where he started working as a “sculptor” in early 1716. His main activity was the creation of gilded lead sculptures for Max Emanuel's gardens.

The elector had committed French artists to his court because the locals did not live up to his ideas. The building activities of the elector and the orders for the design of his gardens were extraordinarily extensive - the wishes considerably exceeded the funds of the Bavarian royal family and led to a considerable national debt. Grof worked in Munich in his role as head sculptor together with the stone sculptor Giuseppe Volpini and the plasterer Charles Claude Dubut . The artistic director of the palace construction was Joseph Effner . Grof was paid well and enjoyed great esteem; however, like other artists and craftsmen, the Bavarian court owed him considerable sums of money, which brought Grof into financial difficulties towards the end of his life.

Grof was married to Rosalia Susanna Lamoureux. The couple's children are known: Charles (1712–1774), Claudius Achilles (born 1716), Ferdinand Wilhelm (born 1718) and Johanna Margaretha. After the death of his father, the eldest son Charles succeeded him as court sculptor in Munich, he called himself Charles de Groff .

Statue of Neptune with a sea horse at the large cascade of the Nymphenburg Park

plant

Grof carried out a variety of different works. Besides the gilded lead figures, there were works in stone, wood, bronze and stucco. As early as 1716 he completed the first two lead groups for Nymphenburg Park . Further works in selection:

  • small statue on a high pedestal, Max Emanuel as the Turkish winner , executed in bronze, brass and wood (1714), in the Bavarian National Museum ;
  • Flora fountain in the Nymphenburg garden ground floor with numerous gilded lead figures (1717–1722), broken off in the 19th century, remains have disappeared;
  • two groups of fountains with statuettes of Triton children riding dolphins , executed as gilded lead castings (1722), in the great hall of the Badenburg in the Nymphenburg Park;
  • Prince-Bishop's tomb with the reclining figure of Marquard on marble tumba , executed in bronze (1731), in Eichstätt Cathedral ;
  • Marble statue of Neptune (around 1737), today on the large cascade in Nymphenburg;
  • Marble statue of Pallas in the Nymphenburg Garden (1738), today lost;
  • A total of fourteen groups of putti in gold-plated lead on the Nymphenburg Cascade (until 1736/38), disappeared at the beginning of the 19th century.

There were also numerous interior fittings in the Nymphenburg main palace , in the park castles and in the Munich residence . Furniture was also one of Grof's works. He handled the numerous assignments with about a dozen journeymen and assistants. Grof also collected art objects and had his own art gallery.

literature

personal data
SURNAME Grof, Guillielmus de
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Grof, Guillaume de; Grof, Wilhelm; Groff, Guillaume de; Groff, Wilhelm
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Flemish sculptor
DATE OF BIRTH baptized November 13, 1676
PLACE OF BIRTH Antwerp
DATE OF DEATH August 16, 1742
Place of death Munich