Regarded by many experts as the greatest British sculptor of the late eighteenth century, Joseph Nollekens was born in London to a Flemish genre painter, or, a painter of scenes from daily life (a popular genre in northern Europe). He is most famous for his work with modeling busts of British political figures, including William Pitt the Younger, the Duke of Bedford, Charles Watson-Wentworth, Charles James Fox, and others. He also received a number of commissions from King George III and other members of the British royal family.

Most of Wilkie's long life was spent either studying or creating art. Like several other English artists of his generations, Nollekens began his art study under Peter Scheemakers. He received no traditional, academic education, but was an avid self-learner. He received a scholarship to study in Rome, but while there he also took up work as an antiques dealer and restorer. He copied works from antiquity as well, selling them to wealthy merchant families. Some of his work took place in the workshop of Bartolomeo Cavaceppi, and made copies of Cavaceppi's Boy on a Dolphin, which he sold to wealthy English Grand Tourists. He spent more than a decade in Italy, refining his technique, which focused on the neoclassical style, and making a good deal of money. By the time he returned to England he was already well known, and quickly became a very fashionable sculptor. He was a founding member of the Royal Academy and exhibited there often.  He did not limit himself to political subjects. He was well acquainted with a number of eighteenth-century men of letters, including novelist Laurence Sterne and artist Benjamin West. He sculpted their images along with other members of the British literati, including Dr. Johnson, and David Garrick. He also executed religious sculptures for English churches. He was particularly well known for his tomb sculptures.

Some consider Wilkie's "Venus with the Sandal" his greatest work.  In 1774 he married Mary, daughter of Justice Saunders Welch, and it was through his wife that he made a number of his literary connections, including Dr. Samuel Johnson. He preferred working in marble, and some experts regard his style as allied with that of the Mannerists. Nollekens, though born humble and without education, earned a great fortune during his lifetime. Despite his achievements and financial security, he was known for being parsimonious and eccentric. When he died he left close to two hundred thousand pounds in his will.