Jean François van Den Kerckhove, 19th century

JEAN FRANÇOIS VAN DEN KERCKHOVE (1815 - 1885), 19th century.
"Female bust".
Carved Carrara marble.
Signed on the back.
Presents restoration.
Measurements: 50 x 24 x 20 cm.

Elegant female bust in carved Carrara marble; the young woman has a serene expression and closed eyes, leaving her hair wavy and gathered by a tiara. The facial features, delicate and succinct, are closely related to the classical portraits of antiquity.

Jean Van den Kerckhove (1815-1885) was a Belgian sculptor, the son of a cabinetmaker and a seamstress. Along with his brothers Louis, Auguste and Léonard, he devoted himself to sculpture, being apprenticed to Willem Geefs and working in the workshop of Karel Geerts.

As an independent artist, Van den Kerckhove created busts, allegories and statues. He participated in several exhibitions, including the Living Masters in The Hague (bust of Philomena), the Antwerp Salon (Allegory of Happiness) and the Brussels Salon, where other members of his family also exhibited. He won a silver gilt medal in Brussels in 1848 and was made a Knight of the Order of the Crown of Oak in 1862.