Peter Anton von Verschaffelt

The field of work recorded is art of sculpture. Places of work recorded in the authority are Ghent, Brussels and Paris. Work by Peter Anton von Verschaffelt is recorded in the collections of Groeningemuseum. Distinctions recorded are Supreme Order of Christ.

• Name — Peter Anton von Verschaffelt • Birth Name — Pieter Antoon Verschaffelt • Born — 8 May 1710 • Birthplace — Ghent, Flanders, Spanish Netherlands • Died — 5 July 1793 (aged 83) • Place of death — Mannheim, Electoral Palatinate, Holy Roman Empire • Known for — Sculpture, Architecture

Verschaffelt was born in Ghent, Flanders in the Spanish Netherlands, as Pieter Antoon Verschaffelt. After his apprentice years in Ghent in the workshop of his grandfather, Verschaffelt worked in Brussels, Paris and, from 1737 to 1751, in Rome. In 1748, he received the commission to replace the damaged statue of the archangel Michael on the Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome, although it was not installed until 1753. In 1752 Verschaffelt moved to London. From there, he was appointed as a successor to the sculptor Paul Egell as court sculptor to Charles Theodore, Elector of the Palatinate, in Mannheim, Germany. Among his first tasks was the landscaping and statuary in the palace garden of Schwetzingen, for which he created the deer and the group of rivers, which are the key features of the park. He died in Mannheim, Electoral Palatinate, Holy Roman Empire, aged 83.

• Illustration — The bronze statue of Archangel Michael, standing on top of the Castel Sant'Angelo, Rome, modelled in 1753 by Peter Anton von Verschaffelt (1710–1793) • Illustration — Jesuit Church, Mannheim • Illustration — Bretzenheim Palace, Mannheim