Thomas Vinçotte
Encyclopedia
Baron Thomas Jules Vinçotte (1850-1925) was a Belgian sculptor and medallist.
and brother of the engineer Robert Vinçotte
. Thomas initially trained at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts
in Brussels under Joseph Jacquet and Eugène Simonis
, then continued his education in Paris at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts
under Pierre-Jules Cavelier
. He returned to Belgium and from 1886 through 1921 he lectured at the National University of Fine Arts in Antwerp.
Vinçotte developed strong social and political ties with the court of King Leopold II, as evidenced by his baronial title, his many commissions for large government projects, multiple equestrian statues of the king, portrait busts of the royal family and important officials, and his designs for Belgian coinage circa 1905.
A street in Schaerbeek is named in his honor.
Life
Vinçotte was the son of Jean-Marie Vinçotte, born in BorgerhoutBorgerhout
Borgerhout is a district of the municipality and city of Antwerp in the Flemish Region of Belgium. The district houses 41,614 inhabitants reflecting 90 nationalities...
and brother of the engineer Robert Vinçotte
Robert Vinçotte
Robert Vinçotte was a Belgian engineer who laid the basis for industrial workplace safety in his native country. He was involved in the founding of the two companies that would dominate the Belgian inspection and certification market during the twentieth century...
. Thomas initially trained at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts
Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts
The Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels is an art school, founded in 1711.The faculty and alumni of ARBA include some of the most famous names in Belgian painting, sculpture, and architecture: James Ensor, Rene Magritte, and Paul Delvaux...
in Brussels under Joseph Jacquet and Eugène Simonis
Eugène Simonis
Louis-Eugène Simonis was a Belgian sculptor.-Career:Simonis studied under François-Joseph Dewandre at the Academie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Liège and at the age of nineteen went to Italy, where he continued his studies in Bologna and Rome. When he returned to Belgium he accepted an instructor...
, then continued his education in Paris at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The most famous is the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, now located on the left bank in Paris, across the Seine from the Louvre, in the 6th arrondissement. The school has a history spanning more than 350 years,...
under Pierre-Jules Cavelier
Pierre-Jules Cavelier
Pierre-Jules Cavelier was a French academic sculptor.Son of a silversmith and furniture maker, student of the sculptors David d'Angers and the painter Paul Delaroche, Cavelier won the Prix de Rome in 1842 with a plaster statue of Diomedes Entering the Palladium...
. He returned to Belgium and from 1886 through 1921 he lectured at the National University of Fine Arts in Antwerp.
Vinçotte developed strong social and political ties with the court of King Leopold II, as evidenced by his baronial title, his many commissions for large government projects, multiple equestrian statues of the king, portrait busts of the royal family and important officials, and his designs for Belgian coinage circa 1905.
A street in Schaerbeek is named in his honor.
Work
- marble monument to sculptor G. L. Godecharle, 1881
- Le dompteur de chevaux (Horse Tamer), Avenue Louise, Brussels, 1885
- bronze monument to François Anneessens, Brussels, 1889
- bronze monument to Jan PalfijnJan PalfijnJan Palfijn was a Flemish surgeon and obstetrician who was a native of Kortrijk, Flanders...
, Theater Square, KortrijkKortrijkKortrijk ; , ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province West Flanders...
, 1889 - pediment sculpture showing Belgium flanked by allegorical groups representing Industry and Agriculture, Royal Palace of Brussels, circa 1900
- bronze bust of Georges Montefiore-LeviGeorges Montefiore-LeviGeorges Montefiore-Levi was a Belgian inventor of Jewish origin who invented phosphorus bronze. He was also an active philanthropist. One of Belgium's oldest engineering schools, the "Institut Montefiore" in Liège bears his name....
, University of LiègeUniversity of LiègeThe University of Liège , in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium, is a major public university in the French Community of Belgium. Its official language is French.-History:...
, 1904 - The quadrigaQuadrigaA quadriga is a car or chariot drawn by four horses abreast . It was raced in the Ancient Olympic Games and other contests. It is represented in profile as the chariot of gods and heroes on Greek vases and in bas-relief. The quadriga was adopted in ancient Roman chariot racing...
entitled Brabant Raising the National Flag or "Quadriga of Brabant", atop the triumphal arch at the CinquantenaireCinquantenaireParc du Cinquantenaire or Jubelpark is a large public, urban park in the easternmost part of the European Quarter in Brussels, Belgium....
, with fellow sculptor Jules LagaeJules LagaeJules Lagae was a Belgian sculptor and medallist, born in Roeselare. Lagae was taught by Joseph Jacquet and Charles van der Stappen at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. He also worked with Jef Lambeaux and Julien Dillens....
, 1904-1905 - multifigure monument to the Belgian inventor Zénobe GrammeZénobe GrammeZénobe Théophile Gramme was a Belgian electrical engineer. He invented the Gramme machine, a type of direct current dynamo capable of generating smoother and much higher voltages than the dynamos known to that point.In 1873 he and Hippolyte Fontaine accidentally discovered that the device was...
, LiègeLiègeLiège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
, 1905 - two bronze figures of Fame with chariots, atop the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp, installed 1905
- stone monument to Pioneers of the Belgian Congo, at the Parc du Cinquantenaire, Brussel, 1921
- equestrian statue of King Leopold II of Belgium, Place du Trône, Brussels, 1926
- bronze group of horses and Tritons, for the park of the Chateau d'Ardenne