Lot 47
JEF LAMBEAUX (BELGIAN 1852-1908)
SILVIUS BRABO
Auction: Act Two: Property from The Eccentric Trading Company | Wed 13th May | Lots 1 to 67
Description
bronze, dark brown patina, signed JEF. LAMBEAUX, on a stepped marble base
Dimensions
the figure 102cm high; 109cm high overall
Footnote
Silvius Brabo was a legendary Roman soldier said to have founded Antwerp and linked to the title Duke of Brabant. According to legend, a giant named Druon Antigoon demanded tolls from those crossing the Scheldt River and punished non-payers by cutting off their hands and throwing them into the water. Brabo defeated the giant, cut off his hand, and threw it into the river. This story is said to explain the name “Antwerpen,” from the Dutch words hand and werpen (“to throw”). The tale is commemorated by a statue of the subject by Lambeauxm, part of a fountain in front of Antwerp City Hall erected in 1887.