Famous 18th Century Sculptors

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 1 
Antonio Canova
(Italian Neoclassical Sculptor Famous for His Marble Sculptures)
Antonio Canova
6
Birthdate: November 1, 1757
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Possagno, Italy
Died: October 13, 1822

Antonio Canova was an Italian Neoclassical sculptor widely regarded as the greatest of the Neoclassical artists. He was famous for his marble sculptures. His work was inspired by the Baroque and the classical revival. His most notable works include Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss and Perseus Triumphant. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he refused to take in pupils. 

 2 
Grinling Gibbons
(Sculptor)
Grinling Gibbons
3
Birthdate: April 4, 1648
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Died: August 3, 1721
 3 
Jean-Antoine Houdon
(French Neoclassical Sculptor)
Jean-Antoine Houdon
3
Birthdate: March 20, 1741
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Versailles, France
Died: July 15, 1828

Jean-Antoine Houdon was a French sculptor best remembered for his statues and portrait busts of philosophers, political figures, and inventors. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, his sculptures were used as a reference for imprinting portraits of prominent personalities on various U.S. postage stamps.

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 4 
Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
(German-Austrian Sculptor Best Known for His Series of Dramatic 'Character Heads')
Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
3
Birthdate: February 6, 1736
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Swabia, Germany
Died: August 19, 1783

German-Austrian Franz Xaver Messerschmidt was a court sculptor in Vienna but was later forced to move to Pressburg, now Bratislava, where he worked on a series of over 60 heads, made of either tin alloy or alabaster. The heads have peculiar expressions, but their meaning hasn’t yet been unearthed.

 5 
Aleijadinho
(Brazilian Sculptor and Architect)
Aleijadinho
2
Birthdate: August 29, 1738
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Ouro Preto, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil
Died: November 18, 1814

Aleijadinho was a Brazilian architect and sculptor best remembered for his works in and on various churches of Brazil. Aleijadinho's works are generally considered some of the finest paradigms of Portuguese colonial architecture. Also among his best-known works are the famous Twelve Prophets, a set of soapstone sculptures at the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus of Matosinhos in Congonhas.

 6 
Antonio Corradini
(Sculptor)
Antonio Corradini
3
Birthdate: October 19, 1688
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Venice, Italy
Died: August 12, 1752

Antonio Corradini was an Italian Rococo sculptor from Venice best known for his sculpture Veiled Truth (also called Modesty or Chastity). After spending much of his career as a migrant artist traveling to different parts of Europe, he was made court sculptor for Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor in Vienna. He resumed traveling after the emperor’s death. 

 7 
John Flaxman
(British Sculptor and Illustrator)
John Flaxman
2
Birthdate: July 6, 1755
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: York, England
Died: December 7, 1826

John Flaxman was a British sculptor. He was a key figure in British and European Neoclassicism. Largely self-educated, he began his career as a modeler for potter Josiah Wedgwood's pottery. He then began sculpting grave monuments and earned a reputation as a prolific maker of funerary monuments. He was married to Anne Denman, who assisted him throughout his career. 

 8 
Francesco Queirolo
(Sculptor)
Francesco Queirolo
2
Birthdate: 1704 AD
Birthplace: Genoa, Italy
Died: 1762 AD

Through his stunningly realistic masterpiece, Il Disinganno, or Release from Deception, which he completed in 7 years, Italian sculptor Francesco Queirolo symbolically showed a man’s release from sins. The fisherman’s net in the sculpture is so intricately carved that people don’t believe it’s made out of marble.

 9 
François-Thomas Germain
(French Silversmith)
François-Thomas Germain
2
Birthdate: April 17, 1726
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: January 23, 1791

François-Thomas Germain was a French silversmith who worked for the European royalty, earning the title royal silversmith. His association with financiers in 1765 was considered a breach of guild regulations, resulting in his resignation and bankruptcy. Today, many of his works are showcased in museums across Europe. François-Thomas Germain was portrayed as the main antagonist in Assassin's Creed Unity (2014).

 10 
Giuseppe Sanmartino
(Sculptor)
Giuseppe Sanmartino
2
Birthdate: 1720 AD
Birthplace: Naples, Italy
Died: December 12, 1793

Giuseppe Sanmartino is best remembered for his stunning marble work Veiled Christ, a depiction of a deceased Christ under a shroud, that was left incomplete by Antonio Corradini. The statue earned him further commissions from Bourbons and various Neapolitan churches. He also worked on silver sculptures in his final days.

 11 
Eleanor Coade
(Businesswoman)
Eleanor Coade
2
Birthdate: June 3, 1733
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Exeter, Devon, England
Died: November 16, 1821

Eleanor Coade was a British businesswoman known for her astute entrepreneurial, business, and marketing skills. She manufactured Neoclassical statues, architectural decorations, and garden ornaments. She created stoneware for many famous buildings, including St George's Chapel, The Royal Pavilion, Brighton, and Carlton House. She was one of the few women to run a highly successful business in the Georgian era. 

 12 
Patience Wright
(Sculptor)
Patience Wright
2
Birthdate: 1725 AD
Birthplace: Oyster Bay, New York, United States
Died: March 23, 1786
 13 
Étienne Maurice Falconet
(French Sculptor Best Known for His Equestrian Statue of Peter the Great, the Bronze Horseman)
Étienne Maurice Falconet
2
Birthdate: December 1, 1716
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: January 24, 1791

Étienne Maurice Falconet is perhaps best remembered for his creation the Bronze Horseman, which depicted Czar Peter I of Russia on a horse. He developed the French Baroque style into Rococo art. Many of his works were made for the Sèvres Porcelain Factory. He also penned Reflections on Sculpture.

 14 
David d'Angers
(Sculptor)
David d'Angers
2
Birthdate: March 12, 1788
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Angers, France
Died: January 4, 1856
 15 
Nicolai Abildgaard
(Danish Neoclassical Painter and Sculptor)
Nicolai Abildgaard
1
Birthdate: September 11, 1743
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Copenhagen, Denmark
Died: June 4, 1809

Nicolai Abildgaard was a Danish neoclassical sculptor, history painter, and architect. He also served as a professor of anatomy, mythology, and painting at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. Abildgaard also served as a royal history painter and was commissioned by the Danish government to produce large monumental pieces to decorate the Knights' Room at Christiansborg Palace. 

 16 
Antoine Coysevox
(Sculptor)
Antoine Coysevox
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Birthdate: September 29, 1640
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Lyon, France
Died: October 10, 1720
 17 
François Girardon
(Sculptor)
François Girardon
1
Birthdate: March 10, 1628
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Troyes, France
Died: September 1, 1715
 18 
Claude Michel
(Sculptor)
Claude Michel
1
Birthdate: December 20, 1738
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Nancy, France
Died: March 29, 1814
 19 
Gottfried Schadow
(Sculptor)
Gottfried Schadow
1
Birthdate: May 20, 1764
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Died: January 27, 1850
 20 
Edmé Bouchardon
(Sculptor)
Edmé Bouchardon
1
Birthdate: May 29, 1698
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Chaumont, France
Died: July 27, 1762
 21 
Jean-Baptiste Pigalle
(Sculptor)
Jean-Baptiste Pigalle
1
Birthdate: January 26, 1714
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Rueil-Malmaison, France
Died: August 20, 1785
 22 
Andreas Schlüter
(sculptor)
Andreas Schlüter
1
Birthdate: May 20, 1664
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Hamburg, Germany
Died: April 30, 1714
 23 
John Michael Rysbrack
(British Sculptor Known for His Busts and Funerary Monuments)
John Michael Rysbrack
1
Birthdate: June 27, 1694
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Antwerp, Belgium
Died: January 8, 1770

John Michael Rysbrack was a Flemish sculptor best remembered for his work in England where he was considered one of the leading sculptors of architectural decorations, portraits, and monuments in early and mid-18th century. John Michael Rysbrack is also remembered for running an influential workshop whose output left a significant impact on future English sculptors.

 24 
Nicolas Coustou
(Sculptor)
Nicolas Coustou
1
Birthdate: January 9, 1658
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Lyon, France
Died: May 1, 1733
 25 
John Gibson
(Sculptor)
John Gibson
1
Birthdate: June 19, 1790
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Conwy, Wales
Died: January 27, 1866
 26 
Paul Storr
(English Goldsmith and Silversmith Working in the Neoclassical)
Paul Storr
1
Birthdate: 1770 AD
Birthplace: London, England
Died: March 18, 1844

Paul Storr was an English goldsmith and silversmith. He worked predominantly in the Neoclassical style in vogue in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. One of the most prominent silversmiths of his era, he created several magnificent sculptural pieces for royalty. He collaborated with John Mortimer to found their joint venture, Storr and Mortimer, in 1822. 

 27 
William Rush
(Sculptor)
William Rush
1
Birthdate: July 4, 1756
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: January 17, 1833
 28 
Joseph Nollekens
(British Sculptor)
Joseph Nollekens
1
Birthdate: August 11, 1737
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: London, England
Died: April 23, 1823

Joseph Nollekens was a British sculptor best remembered for his portrait busts. One of the most fashionable portrait sculptors of his generation, Nollekens was also widely regarded as the best English sculptor of the late-18th century. Joseph Nollekens' famous statue Faith in Wetheral Parish Church is considered his finest work.  

 29 
Louis-François Roubiliac
(Sculptor)
Louis-François Roubiliac
1
Birthdate: August 31, 1702
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Lyon, France
Died: January 11, 1762
 30 
Manuel Tolsá
(Spanish Sculptor and Architect Who Introduced Neoclassical Architecture and Sculpture in Spain and Mexico)
Manuel Tolsá
1
Birthdate: May 4, 1757
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Enguera, Spain
Died: December 24, 1816

Spanish-born sculptor and architect Manuel Tolsá is credited with introducing Neoclassical art to Mexico, then known as New Spain. His most iconic works include the construction of the College of Mines and the completion of the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral. Apart from Neoclassical symmetry, he also used Baroque elements.

 31 
Egid Quirin Asam
(Sculptor)
Egid Quirin Asam
1
Birthdate: September 1, 1692
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Tegernsee, Germany
Died: April 29, 1750
 32 
Johann Joachim Kändler
(Sculptor)
Johann Joachim Kändler
1
Birthdate: June 15, 1706
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Arnsdorf, Germany
Died: May 18, 1775
 33 
Peter Scheemakers
(Flemish Sculptor)
Peter Scheemakers
1
Birthdate: 1691 AD
Birthplace: Antwerp, Belgium
Died: September 12, 1781

Peter Scheemakers was a Flemish sculptor who lived and worked for most part of his life in London. Scheemakers' church and public sculptures in a classicist style had a significant impact on the progression of modern sculpture in England. Peter Scheemakers is best remembered for executing a memorial to William Shakespeare which is part of Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey.

 34 
Andrea Brustolon
(Italian Sculptor Known for His Furnishings in the Baroque Style and Devotional Sculptures)
Andrea Brustolon
1
Birthdate: July 20, 1662
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Belluno, Italy
Died: October 25, 1732

Andrea Brustolon was an Italian sculptor who used wood to carve his sculptures in the Baroque style. He also used his skills to carve devotional sculptures. Such was his popularity that both contemporary and future sculptors  imitated his style; Valentino Panciera Besarel imitated Andrea Brustolon's style to make upholstered armchairs from the 1860s.

 35 
Giacomo Serpotta
(Italian Sculptor)
Giacomo Serpotta
1
Birthdate: March 10, 1656
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Palermo, Italy
Died: February 27, 1732

Giacomo Serpotta was an Italian sculptor who mainly worked in stucco. Historians believe that he was self-trained and had no direct exposure to the mainstream of Italian Baroque. He often collaborated with others, and his first major solo work is believed to be an equestrian statue cast of Charles II of Spain and Sicily. 

 36 
Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne
(Sculptor)
Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne
1
Birthdate: February 15, 1704
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: July 27, 1762
 37 
Franz Anton Bustelli
(German Artist Known for His Work in the Light, Asymmetric, Lavishly Decorated Rococo Style)
Franz Anton Bustelli
2
Birthdate: April 12, 1723
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Locarno, Switzerland
Died: April 18, 1763

Not much is known about artist Franz Anton Bustelli’s early life, except that he worked at a porcelain factory. One of the greatest figures of the Rococo style of art, he created porcelain figures of gods, street vendors, and even Oriental characters. His signature style included the use of rich colors.

 38 
Augustin Pajou
(Sculptor)
Augustin Pajou
1
Birthdate: September 19, 1730
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: May 8, 1809
 39 
Juste-Aurèle Meissonier
(French Goldsmith, Sculptor, Painter, Architect, and Furniture Designer)
Juste-Aurèle Meissonier
0
Birthdate: March 17, 1695
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Turin, Italy
Died: July 31, 1750

Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier was a French painter, goldsmith, architect, sculptor, and furniture designer. Renowned for his spectacular decorative style, Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier worked for the nobility of France, Portugal, and Poland. His works are currently preserved at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in Manhattan, New York City, USA.

 40 
Charles Cressent
(Sculptor)
Charles Cressent
1
Birthdate: December 16, 1685
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: France
Died: January 10, 1768
 41 
Adam Friedrich Oeser
(Painter)
Adam Friedrich Oeser
0
Birthdate: February 17, 1717
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Bratislava, Slovakia
Died: March 18, 1799
 42 
Ignaz Günther
(Sculptor)
Ignaz Günther
0
Birthdate: November 22, 1725
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Altmannstein, Germany
Died: June 27, 1775
 43 
Guillaume Coustou the Elder
(Sculptor)
Guillaume Coustou the Elder
1
Birthdate: April 25, 1677
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Lyon, France
Died: February 22, 1746
 44 
Georg Raphael Donner
(Sculptor)
Georg Raphael Donner
0
Birthdate: May 24, 1693
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: February 15, 1741
 45 
Francisco Salzillo
(Spanish Sculptor)
Francisco Salzillo
0
Birthdate: May 12, 1707
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Murcia, Spain
Died: March 2, 1783

Francisco Salzillo was an 18th-century Spanish sculptor. He worked exclusively on religious themes and almost always used polychromed wood as his medium. Hundreds of the pieces he made are distributed throughout the Region of Murcia. Unfortunately, many of his works were destroyed during the Spanish Civil War. His great nativity scene is considered one of his masterpieces. 

 46 
István Ferenczy
(Hungarian sculptor)
István Ferenczy
0
Birthdate: February 24, 1792
Sun Sign: Pisces
Died: July 4, 1856

Renowned Hungarian sculptor István Ferenczy was the son of a locksmith but ended up training in copperplate engraving at the Vienna Academy. A master of marble statues, he wished to establish a sculpting school in his country. Eurydike and the Statue of Kölcsey remain two of his best-known works.

 47 
Johann Peter Melchior
(Sculptor)
Johann Peter Melchior
0
Birthdate: March 8, 1747
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Lintorf, Ratingen, Germany
Died: June 13, 1825