Jean Raon (4 July 1630 – 4 April 1707) was a French sculptor who worked mainly for
Louis XIV. He is best known for his sculptures placed in the
Gardens of Versailles, although he also produced bas-reliefs and pediments.
Life
Jean Raon, the son of a master mason, was born in Paris, and first trained by his father; in 1666 he went to Rome to study art as a boarder at the
French Academy in Rome at the King's expense, in the new study abroad programme supported by the
Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. After studying Roman antiquities for three years, he returned to France to work at
Versailles.
Raon would be continuously employed by Louis XIV to work on
Charles Le Brun's major programme of sculpture, architecture and landscaping until 1699. He worked not only at Versailles but also at the royal buildings at
Clagny,
Marly and
Meudon, as well as at the church of the
Hôtel des Invalides.
Raon was accepted as a member of the
Académie Royale
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...
on 26 March 1672 with ''St Luke'', a marble low relief, and received the title of professor at the Academy in 1690. He exhibited at the Salon of the Académie in 1673 and 1679.
["Raon, Jean". (2011). ''Benezit''. n.p.] In his last years he divided his time between teaching and sculpting for the royal residences.
Works
Raon's works include: ''Apollo'' at the museum of Versailles; ''St Luke'' for a chapel in
Notre-Dame, Versailles; ''Winter'' in the Tuileries gardens; ''Vigilance'' and ''Diligence'', stone statues for the façade of the palace of Versailles and, on the exterior of its chapel, ''Group of Children Carrying the Emblems for the Catholic Mass'', as well as a marble vase decorated with vine branches and two female heads crowned with ivy for the park; ''Nymph Leaning on an Urn of Flowers'' and ''Near Her, a Lover Holding a Quiver'', a marble group for the palace of Versailles and for the grounds of the château, ''Lion Attacking a Boar'', two groups of nymphs, ''Arion'', ''Night'' and ''Bacchus''.
Son
Jean Melchior
Raon (1669 – 27 December 1719) was the son of
Jean Raon. He was also a sculptor and worked on the
chapel in the palace of Versailles and at
Notre-Dame in Paris.
["Raon, Jean Melchior". (2011). ''Benezit''. n.p.]
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
Jal,
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* Arsène Auguste (born 1951), Haitian footballer
* Donna Auguste (born 1958), African-American businesswoman
* Georges Auguste (born 1933), Haitian painter
* Henri Auguste (1759–1816), Parisian gold and ...
, ed. (1872)
"Raon (Jean), (Jean-Melchior)" In ''Dictionnaire critique de biographie et d'histoire: errata et supplément pour tous les dictionnaires historiques''. 2e édition corrigée et augmentée d'articles nouveaux. Paris: H. Plon. p. 1042.
"Raon, Jean" (2011). ''
Benezit Dictionary of Artists.''
Oxford Art Online. Accessed 29 January 2022.
"Raon, Jean Melchior" (2011). ''Benezit Dictionary of Artists''. Oxford Art Online. Accessed 17 March 2022.
"Jean Raon" (2015). ''The J. Paul Getty Museum.'' Accessed 29 January 2022.
"Raon, Jean" (2017). ''Joconde: Portail des collections des musées de France''. Accessed 29 January 2022.
External links
''EUTouring.com'', n.d.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raon, Jean
1630s births
1707 deaths
17th-century French sculptors