BY ALFRED VAN BEURDEN, DATED 1891

Born in Antwerp, Belgium, in 1854 (d.1938), Alphonse van Beurden studied at the Academie d'Anvers as a pupil of renowned Belgium sculptors Edouard Dujardin and Jozef Geefs where he was awarded the first prize in 1874, 1877 and 1879; he became Professeur de dessin linaire in 1885. He also spent a brief period of time in the distinguished workshop of Jef Lambeaux. He exhibited his sculptures at the 1885 Salon d'Anvers, the 1889 and 1890 Salons triennaux de Bruxelles and the 1890 Salon triennal d'Anvers. He was awarded a mention honorable in Paris in 1890 and a gold medal in Munich in 1891 for a life-size bronze version of Boy at the fountain (Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp). Van Beurden was a regular contributor to the Salons of Brussels and Antwerp where his marble group Jealousy (1886) was much admired for the carving skills of the sculptor. His name was listed in the London Royal Academy's catalogue from 1887 onwards. By 1890, he became an ivory sculptor, exhibiting in Antwerp, Munich and Berlin. He participated in the carving of the façades of the Bourse du Diamant and the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp.