Willem Van Den Broecke

Place: Mechelen

Born: 1530

Death: 1579

Biography:

Willem van den Broecke was a Flemish sculptor, painter, draughtsman and architect. He was born in Mechelen around 1530 and died in Antwerp in 1579. Willem was active in Antwerp and also worked and likely trained in Italy for a long period. He was known for his small scale works, many of which were executed in alabaster. He was, along with Cornelis Floris, the leading sculptor in Antwerp in the second half of the 16th century. He was also one of the designers of the Antwerp City Hall. He enjoyed the patronage of an elite international clientele of church institutions, Spanish nobility, princes of Protestant territories as well as patricians from Augsburg.