Guillielmus de Grof

Guillielmus de Grof or Willem or Wilhelm de Grof (Antwerp, baptized on 13 November 1676 – Munich, 15 February 1759) was a Flemish sculptor, metal caster, stucco maker, frame maker and cabinet maker. After training in Antwerp he worked in Paris and Munich as court sculptor. In Paris he was a court sculptor to King Louis XIV and in Munich he was employed by the Elector Maximilian II Emanuel of Wittelsbach. He is known for his large scale equestrian portraits as well as small scale decorative sculptures. He was one of the great pioneers of Rococo art in Munich. His style combined the court style of Louis XIV with the exuberant Flemish Baroque, which had its roots in Rubens' works. He had an important influence on the development of sculpture in Bavaria and Vienna. rdf:langString