Five miniatures from Roman Heerlen
Author: Anja Neskens
Photography: Wil van der Laan
A Raadhuisplein full of Roman stories. That is what came to light in January 2026. A symbiosis between new materials and discoveries from the past. From a fountain made of mosaic stones, to benches with Latin inscriptions and a sculptural ensemble.
Artist Wil van der Laan also contributed to this project. He created five unique figures. A symbiosis between Roman art and Rodin — that is his trademark.
A sculptural group on Raadhuisplein? What was the starting point of the commission?
The municipality of Heerlen wanted to commission a bronze sculptural group, bathing in the water. Yes, you heard that correctly: bathing in the water. In the design of Raadhuisplein, a water channel runs from the Putgraaf towards the Roman Museum. In the middle of that route there is a circle with seating. The water channel represents the Caumerbeek and the Geleenbeek, and the circle represents the bathhouse. Clean water was brought from one stream to the bathhouse, while dirty water was carried away to the other stream. Ingenious for that time, wasn’t it?
The idea was to design small figures bathing with their feet in the water of the Roman bathhouse.
And which figures were chosen?
After lengthy consultation among the specialists, the following figures were selected:
- Lucius, the potter, and his beloved Amaka. You may know them from the famous love jug.
- a doctor, whose ointment stone is still preserved in the Roman Museum
- the politician Marcus Sattonius Iucundus, who commissioned the construction of the bathhouse
- Flaccus, the oldest known inhabitant of Heerlen, whose remains were excavated at Raadhuisplein
What clothing was chosen?
For this, two specialists were consulted: Anique Hamelink and Beatrice de Fraiture. Anique knows literally every detail of what clothing looked like in Roman times. She endlessly studied mosaics, frescoes, sculptures, and so on. With that knowledge, she advised on the clothing of my figures. Step by step, Wil van der Laan enthusiastically continued modelling my figures until every detail was correct. It was a wonderful experience to integrate historical accuracy into his artwork in this way.
