Background
Colyn was born in Mechelen, Belgium.
Colyn was born in Mechelen, Belgium.
In 1563 he went, at the invitation of the emperor Ferdinand I, to Innsbruck, to work on the magnificent monument which was being erected to Maximilian I in the nave of the Franciscan church. Of the twenty-four marble altirilievi (high reliefs), representing the emperors principal acts and victories, which adorn the sides of this tomb, twenty were executed by Colyn, apparently in three years. The work displays a remarkable combination of liveliness and spirit with extreme care and finish, its delicacy rivaling that of a fine cameo.
Bertel Thorvaldsen is said to have pronounced it the finest work of its kind.
In Innsbruck he also made (1566-1590) so called Royal Mausoleum for Saint Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle. He is credited with bringing the artistic style of European courts to Germany, where he managed (1558-1559) the sculpting of the Ottheinrichsbau (German, Ottheinrich palace or simply building) in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg.
He contributed to the tombs of Ferdinand II, which he designed, and of Maximilian I, where he sculpted a number of marble reliefs.