Laurys Gillis


Laurys Gillis, also known as Laurentius, Laurent, Laureis, Louwerijs Gieles was a sculptor from Antwerp.

Biography

Shoemakers son of Jean Gillis from Hoegaarden, Belgium and Maria Margareta Gantier. Baptized on August 25, 1688, in Antwerp, Belgium. Married on 3 May 1712 in Antwerp to Helena Mattheyssens. Louwerijs Gieles was registered in 1701/1702 as a student of the famous sculptor Michiel van der Voort the Elder. In 1721/1722 he was admitted as master Louwerensius Gieles in the craft of bell cutters.
He was a member of the Saint Luke Guild in Antwerp.
Two of his sons, Josephus Gillis and Jean-Baptiste Gillis also became sculptors. A third, Herman Gillis became a painter and director of the academy in Leuven.

Major works

His most important works in marble and ceramic have been sent to Holland.
A work by him is the Madonna and Child on the corner of the Lange Klarenstraat and the Meir in Antwerp. The late Baroque statue was made for the boarding school of the Jesuits on the Sint-Jacobsmarkt. It initially consisted of a group of three figures. This statue was previously attributed to Pieter Verbruggen. The Madonna was restored at the end of 2013. She was relocated at the end of December 2014. An additional angel head was applied during the restoration.
Another work by him is in the Sint-Jacob church in Antwerp. It is a statue made in 1740 of St. Johannes Nepomucenus. The statue is made of marble.
In 2008, two small angel statues made by Laurys Gillis were sold at a Sothebys auction for 12,000 euros.