Lambertus Zijl (1866–1947) was a Dutch sculptor and medallist. He was born in Kralingen and trained in Amsterdam. Zijl worked at a time when sculpture, architecture and the applied arts were increasingly brought together.
From the 1890s onwards, he collaborated with architect H.P. Berlage. Zijl designed sculptures specifically as part of several buildings. The best-known example is the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam, for which he created reliefs and monumental figures.
Alongside his architectural sculpture, Zijl created independent sculptures, portraits, medals and smaller works. Human figures and animals appear regularly in his work. In these independent sculptures he was able to model more freely than in commissions intended for architecture.
His work therefore ranges from monumental sculpture to smaller, more intimate pieces.
Works by Lambertus Zijl are held in several Dutch museum collections, including the Rijksmuseum, the Kröller-Müller Museum and Kunstmuseum Den Haag.
Zijl was already a respected sculptor during his lifetime. In 1926, the Nederlandse Kring van Beeldhouwers organised an exhibition in his honour at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. His architectural work for Berlage and his independent sculptures together illustrate the breadth of his artistic practice.
