Self-portrait Edouard Fiers

Edouard Fiers was born in Ypres in 1822. In the 19th century, he became one of the most popular artists in Ypres. Unlike his colleagues Auguste Böhm and Louis Delbeke, Fiers resolutely chose sculpture as his medium. Our collection includes several sculptures by Fiers, including this beautiful bust, a self-portrait of the artist.

Beard freedom in the 19th century

What immediately strikes you about this sculpture is the well-groomed beard and moustache. This is entirely in keeping with the style of the second half of the 19th century. A clean-shaven face was fashionable in the 18th century. From 1850 onwards, beards came back into fashion. At that time, the male ideal changed. Men no longer had to be sophisticated, but physically fit and exude strength. Under the influence of Romanticism, “naturalness” became important again. One of the most distinctive ways of achieving this was through facial hair. That is why full beards came back into fashion. After 1870, this popularity quickly faded. Impressive wild beards made way for more sculpted styles.

The “Van Dyke beard”

Fiers depicts himself here with a so-called “Van Dyke beard”, a popular style at the end of the 19th century. A Van Dyke beard combines a goatee on the chin with a moustache. The rest of the face is shaved. It is therefore not a wild, natural beard, but a well-groomed look. The style is named after the painter Antoon van Dyck, who wore this type of beard in the 17th century. Many of the men in his portraits, such as the English monarch Charles I, also sported a Van Dyke beard.

Perhaps not coincidentally, one of Edouard Fiers' teachers, Eugène Simonis, also chose this style of facial hair. Fiers would remain faithful to his teacher's style, neoclassicism, throughout his career. The portrait Fiers painted of Jacob Cats, the 17th-century poet and contemporary of Anthony van Dyck, is also in the same style. His beard style reflects his preference for historical subjects and styles in his work.