Maria Faydherbe: a seventeenth-century sculptor in Mechelen by Dr Holly Trusted FSA

Maria Faydherbe (1587-1643) is an enigmatic and intriguing figure. She was active as a baroque sculptor in Mechelen (Malines), producing fine small-scale devotional figures. The aunt of the famed sculptor Lucas Faydherbe (1617-1697), she was herself a successful artist, though was not a member of the Guild of St Luke (the artists’ guild) in Mechelen. A legal dispute in 1633 records her criticisms of her fellow artists. She was clearly a feisty and outspoken woman, though her sculpture has had a low profile since the seventeenth century. This short talk will examine some of her works and what little is known of her life.

‘Breekbaar afgebeeld’: Anna Maria van Schurman as a sculptor by Erik Bijzet

Among her many talents  Anna Maria van Schurman (1607 – 1678), the first woman to enrol at a Dutch university and an internationally renowned polymath in her time, had a penchant for sculpting in wax, boxwood and ivory. Although the surviving reliefs in boxwood and wax have been classified as a mere dilettante’s work, Van Schurman described and indeed used her training and proficiency in the art of sculpture in her published writings, which concern both theology and the valuable contributions women can make to society.

Erik Bijzet is an art dealer based in Edam, the Netherlands, and specialises in fine sculpture from the Middle Ages until the early 20th century, as well as pre-modern small-scale works of art. The gallery serves an international clientele, ranging from fledgling collectors to major museums. In addition, Erik is the co-author of the catalogues of the Neutelings collection in the Bonnefantenmuseum Maastricht and the Schoufour-Martin collection in Museum Boijmans van Beuningen Rotterdam. He has contributed scholarly articles to such publications as the Bulletin of the Rijksmuseum and the Sculpture Journal.