William De Keysar, Sculptor
(fl. c. 1683)
Sculptor
From A Dictionary of Irish Artists 1913
In 1683 the Corporation of Dublin made an agreement with William De Keysar, "carver of stone," for statues of King Charles I and King Charles II—"his late Majestie Charles I and his Majestie that now is"—to be carved in Portland stone, for the adornment of the Tholsel in Skinners Row, which had just been completed. The statues, for which De Keysar was paid one hundred pounds, were finished by March, 1685, were placed in niches on the front of the Tholsel. According to the agreement made with the sculptor, the figures were six feet high; but this height was found insufficient to fill the niches, and De Keysar was ordered to place under each a pedestal two feet high, so as to raise them to the required height. For this extra work he was paid twenty pounds. Henry Parris, brazier, was paid six pounds eighteen shillings for a sceptre and spear of mixed metal for the statues. The Tholsel having fallen into decay was taken down in 1805, and the two statues were removed to the north transept of Christchurch, where they remained until the restoration of the cathedral (1871-8), when they were placed in the crypt, where they now are. The statues in their original position in the Tholsel are shown in one of Malton's views.