"The Lowering Of Joseph Witterwulghe Belgian Artist"
Superb sculpture, probably unique and unnumbered. Born on 1 November 1883 in Brussels, Joseph Witterwulghe joined the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in his hometown from 1897 to 1907. Trained in sculpture by Julien Dillens, he also benefited from the teaching of Charles Van der Stappen, Jacques de Lalaing, Charles Samuel and Thomas Vinçotte. For the latter, he participated in the creation of the pediment of the Royal Palace of Brussels (around 1905) and the Monument to the Belgian Pioneers in the Congo (1912-1921) in the Parc du Cinquantenaire. In turn, he taught for just under thirty years at the Institut des Arts et Métiers in Brussels. After a study trip to France and the Netherlands thanks to a scholarship from the city of Brussels, he competed for the Belgian Prix de Rome with The Adoration of the Shepherds. Exempted from military service in 1914 as a “widow’s supporter”, Witterwulghe began working on some of his future large compositions and initiated the production of medals and plaques. His work took off after 1918, supported by regular participation in the Triennials (in Ghent, in 1925, he was awarded for his Thinker and his bust of the Painter Jean Van de Leene) and the Salons as well as exhibitions in galleries; in 1924