Scheemakers, Peter

Peter Scheemakers, (baptized Aug. 10, 1691, Antwerp, Belg.—died Sept. 12, 1781, Antwerp), Belgian sculptor who was considered a founder of modern sculpture in England.

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.