Sluter, Claus (klous slü`tər), d. 1406, Flemish sculptor, probably of Dutch extraction, active in Burgundy. Under Philip the Bold of Burgundy he had charge of the sculptural works for the porch of the Chartreuse of Champmol, near Dijon; there stands his pedestal for a Calvary—the Well of Moses—with its strongly individualized figures of Moses, David, and the Prophets, a masterpiece of realism, dignity, and power. Another magnificent work at Dijon is the tomb of Philip the Bold, with a recumbent effigy upon the sarcophagus and 40 small alabaster figures of mourners set in niches in its sides. The tomb was finished by Claus de Werve, nephew and pupil of Sluter and also his assistant on the Well of Moses.

Sluter, Claus

(From left) Zechariah, Daniel, and Isaiah from the “Well of Moses,” marble sculpture by …

(credit: Foto Marburg/Art Resource, New York)

(born c. 1340/50, Haarlem?, Holland—died between Sept. 24, 1405, and Jan. 30, 1406, Dijon, Burgundy) Early Netherlandish sculptor. He entered the service of Philip II the Bold in 1385 and became his chief sculptor in 1389. All his surviving sculptures were made for the Carthusian monastery of Champmol at Dijon, which Philip founded. Sluter moved beyond the prevailing French taste for graceful figures, delicate movement, and fluid falls of drapery and toward highly individual naturalistic forms. His works infuse realism with spirituality and monumental grandeur. His influence was extensive among both painters and sculptors of 15th-century northern Europe.