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Secondary sourceSculpture1622

Statue of Erasmus

Hendrick de Keyser · 1622

A bronze statue of Erasmus in Rotterdam, made by Hendrick de Keyser in 1622, one of the oldest public statues in the Netherlands honoring him as a national hero.

This statue, erected nearly a century after his death, shows how Erasmus became celebrated as a national intellectual hero in the Netherlands.

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Photo of a bronze statue of a robed scholar in a flat cap, holding an open book, standing on a white pedestal among green trees, with a building and street sign behind.
Hendrick de Keyser, Statue of Erasmus, 1622. Rotterdam, International Sculpture Collection.

About this source

What it is

This is a bronze public statue of Erasmus by Hendrick de Keyser, cast after his death and erected in Rotterdam in 1622. It shows Erasmus as a theologian, reading a large open Bible. It was commissioned by the City of Rotterdam on the recommendation of Hugo Grotius.

Why it matters

This was the first public statue in bronze in the Netherlands, and was unusual in Europe for honoring a scholar rather than a military or political leader. It replaced earlier wooden and stone statues of Erasmus made in his native city, showing the civic pride Rotterdam felt toward him. The statue survived wars, vandalism, and relocation, and remains a symbol of how the Dutch Republic claimed Erasmus as a national hero long after his death.

Look closer

  • Why might a city choose to honor a scholar with a statue instead of a soldier or ruler?
  • What does the choice to show Erasmus reading a book tell us about how he was remembered?
  • What happened to this statue over the centuries, and what does that history tell us about its importance?

This sculpture is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Desiderius Erasmus on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Page from a 16th-century printed Latin book with a pen-and-ink marginal drawing at upper left of a figure in a hooded garment holding up a small figure of a man, with handwritten Latin notes and a printed column of Latin and Greek text beside it. The handwritten annotation reads 'Vere nobiles qui' at the top.Book

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Erasmus · 1516

Title page of a 1524 book printed in Basel. Text reads 'De libero arbitrio diatribe sive collatio, Desiderii Erasmi Roterod', with 'Primum legito deinde iudicato' below, a printer's ornament, and 'Basileae apud Ioannem Frobenium, Anno M.D.XXIIII. Mense Septembri.' at the bottom.Book

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Erasmus · 1524

Scan of the title page of a 1525 book, with an ornate woodcut border of architectural arches and foliage. Central text reads 'DE SERVO ARBITRIO MARTINI Lutheri ad D. Erasmum Roterodamum' and 'Vvittembergae 1525', with a winged cherub holding a shield marked with a monogram at the bottom. A circular library stamp reads 'Ex Bibl. Paulina Monast.' and handwritten notes appear at top and right.Book

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On the Bondage of the Will

Martin Luther · 1525

Oil painting of an older man with grey hair wearing a black cap and dark fur-trimmed robe, resting his hands on a red book with gold lettering and green ribbon markers. A green curtain and carved pilaster stand behind him, with books and a glass bottle on a shelf at right.Painting

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Erasmus

Hans Holbein the Younger · 1523

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