Herwig Simons Fine Arts

The eclectic Brussels dealer Herwig Simons Fine Arts (booth 106) will present at BRAFA 2026 an exceptional, fresh-to-the-market Corpus Christi by Walter Pompe, dated 1742.

This sculpture was made for the Jesuit order in Flanders and retains its original cross, featuring a skull at the base - a reference to Golgotha. The work is included in the catalogue raisonné of Walter Pompe.

Walter Pompe is considered one of the last and absolutely brilliant representatives of 18th-century Antwerp sculpture. From 1722 onwards, he trained in the workshop of Michiel van der Voort the Elder (1667-1737) before becoming a master sculptor of the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp in 1730. While he is primarily known for his religious works, Pompe also produced private commissions in his flourishing Antwerp workshop. His secular sculptures mainly depict mythological and allegorical subjects.

Pompe’s works are held in major public collections, including the Louvre Museum, the Rijksmuseum, and the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA).

Walter Pompe (Lith 1703-1777 Antwerp), Corpus Christi, 1742, Finely carved in boxwood, H Christ 70 cm - Total H 100 cm, signed (three times) and dated (twice)