Explore: Louis François Roubiliac

(c.1705 - 1762)

Sculptor Louis François Roubiliac was born in Lyons, France; the son of a merchant. As a young man he is thought to have spent time in Dresden, before studying at the Académie Royale in Paris. By 1731 he had moved to London, where he initially worked for sculptors Thomas Carter and Henry Cheere. His reputation was established partly by his statue of George Frideric Handel, commissioned by Jonathan Tyers for his pleasure Gardens at Vauxhall. Throughout the late 1730s and early 1740s Roubiliac worked mainly on portrait statues and busts of writers, artists and other creative figures. By 1750, he was also known for producing monuments. He became an active member of the Society of Artists before his death in London at the age of 59.