Nicholas Bellin

sculptor

Nicholas Bellin, sculptor, was buried at St Margaret's Westminster on 16th February 1569 but he has no marker or memorial. The entry in the burial register does not actually give his surname as he is described as "Nicholas Modyn, an Italian stranger and gent." In the churchwarden accounts he is called Mooden or Moden, but he was known as Nicholas of Modena.

He came originally from Modena in Italy and he then worked in France for King Francis I and assisted at Fontainebleau where he worked as a designer and worker in plaster and stucco. In 1538 he came to England and worked on various projects for Henry VIII, including the now destroyed Nonsuch Palace. In 1541 he was granted citizenship under the name of Nicholas Bellin "born in the town of Modena under the dominion of the Duke of Ferrara".

In 1544 he was living in Westminster in the "tomb house" in Dean's Yard, in the Abbey precincts. This was in the former monk bailiff's office on the east side. Bellin worked on a tomb for Henry there, which was to go to Windsor where the King was buried. He possibly assisted with the making of the funeral hearse of Henry VIII.

At the funeral of Edward VI he made the wood and wax effigy which was placed on the coffin (the effigy does not survive). He possibly also had a hand in the painting of the imitation mosaics and other surface restoration on the shrine of St Edward the Confessor in 1557.

In 1550 his neighbour, one of the Canons of Westminster, tried to remove him and the Chapter Minute Book records that Mr Perkins be given, in addition to his own house, "the hall wherein the tumbe [tomb] is, with yard, kitchen and stables...". The tomb was finally moved to Windsor in 1567 but remained unfinished. Nicholas lived in the house until his death.