Gert van Egen

Gert van Egen (I) (alternative names: Gert va Egerem, Gert van Eggernn) (Mechelen, c. 1550 – Elsinore, 1612) was a Flemish sculptor who became a sculptor working for the Royal Danish Court.

Life Little is known about his life. He was likely trained in Mechelen and was later a pupil or assistant in the Antwerp workshop of Cornelis Floris de Vriendt whose work was particularly popular in Northern Europe. He was part of a group of pupils and assistants of Cornelis Floris, who moved to countries situated on the Baltic Sea to take advantage of Floris’ network and the international popularity of the Floris style. The Baltic region was at the time politically relatively stable when compared to van Egen's native home, the Spanish Netherlands, which were rife with religious persecution. There was also less competition from other artists in these countries.

He was employed, together with his brother Peter, in Denmark at Kronborg Castle from 1578 to 1585. The principal architects of Kronborg Castle were his fellow Flemings Hans Hendrik van Paesschen and Anthonis van Obbergen, whereas the sculptural work was coordinated by Dutchman Gert van Groningen. At this time king Frederick II of Denmark had the medieval fortress radically transformed into a magnificent Renaissance castle. Van Egen was one of the best paid sculptors, indicating that he had important responsibilities in the decoration of Kronborg, although there are no records as to what these were. While his brother Peter likely left with van Obbergen for Danzig upon completion of the work at Kronborg Castle, Gert stayed on in Denmark to work for the Danish royal family.

Relief from Frederick II's tomb showing the siege of Akershus Fortress in 1567. Bottom left: Oslo with St. Hallvard's Cathedral

Frederick II died in 1588 and a year later Gert van Egen was commissioned to make a monumental tomb of the king to be placed in Roskilde Cathedral. The initiative came from the deceased king's son Christian IV and widow, Dowager Queen Sophie.

Van Egen remained in the employ of the Danish court for the rest of his life and raised a family in Denmark. The figure of the reclining king on the tomb is also sculpted with precision. These pieces demonstrate that Van Egen likely received his training primarily in Mechelen, the center of alabaster small-scale sculpture.