Background
He was born on January 16, 1691, in Antwerp, and learnt his art from his father and from Delvaux.
He was born on January 16, 1691, in Antwerp, and learnt his art from his father and from Delvaux.
He visited Denmark where he studied for four years with the court sculptor Johann Adam Sturmberg (1683–1741).
Scheemakers trained with his father, also a sculptor, in Antwerp before arriving in England sometime prior to 1721. He produced tomb monuments and garden statuary in a restrained classical style. In 1728 Scheemakers traveled to Rome to study sculpture, and, after his return to London in 1730, he quickly established his reputation as one of the foremost sculptors of his day. In 1741 he executed the monument to William Shakespeare in Westminster Abbey, which is distinctive for its portrayal of the playwright in an informal, cross-legged pose.
