Michel Colombe (c. 1430 – c. 1513) was a French sculptor whose work bridged the late Gothic and Renaissance styles. Born in

Bourges Bourges () is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre. It is the capital of the department of Cher, and also was the capital city of the former province of Berry. History The name of the commune derives either from the Bituriges, t ...

into a family of artisans, he was active in Tours. Colombe's surviving works all date from his old age. He created the ''gisant'' figures of the two deceased children of

Charles VIII of France Charles VIII, called the Affable (french: l'Affable; 30 June 1470 – 7 April 1498), was King of France from 1483 to his death in 1498. He succeeded his father Louis XI at the age of 13.Paul Murray Kendall, ''Louis XI: The Universal Spider'' (Ne ...

on their monument (1506) in Tours Cathedral. However, his most important surviving works were for the magnificent

tomb of Francis II, Duke of Brittany A tomb ( grc-gre, τύμβος ''tumbos'') is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called ''immureme ...

, in Nantes Cathedral (1502–1507), and for the mausoleum of

Philibert II of Savoy Philibert II (10 April 1480 – 10 September 1504), nicknamed the Handsome or the Good, was the Duke of Savoy from 1497 until his death. Biography Born in Pont-d'Ain, Philibert was the son of Philip (Filippo) the Landless and his first wife ...

, at Notre-Dame de Brou, his masterwork. The Francis II monument was designed by Jean Perréal; it was disassembled and buried for safekeeping during the French Revolution.(Nantes Cathedral) Le tombeau de François II
/ref> An ''

Entombment Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

'' at the

Abbey of Solesmes Solesmes Abbey or St. Peter's Abbey, Solesmes (''Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Solesmes'') is a Benedictine monastery in Solesmes (Sarthe, France), famous as the source of the restoration of Benedictine monastic life in the country under Dom Prosper Gu� ...

(1494–1498) is attributed to him. A bas-relief commissioned in 1508 by Georges d'Amboise for the

Château de Gaillon The Château de Gaillon is a French Renaissance castle located in Gaillon, Normandy region of France. History The somewhat battered and denuded Château de Gaillon, begun in 1502 on ancient foundations was the summer archiepiscopal residence of G ...

is conserved in the Musée du Louvre. His brother Jean Colombe was an important miniature painter and illuminator who worked on the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. His nephew

Guillaume Regnault Guillaume may refer to: People * Guillaume (given name), the French equivalent of William * Guillaume (surname) Other uses * Guillaume (crater) See also * '' Chanson de Guillaume'', an 11th or 12th century poem * Guillaume affair, a Cold War espi ...

appears to have trained in his atelier.

Gallery

File:Anne de Bretagne as prudence.jpg, Allegory of Prudence on the tomb of Francis, with the features of Francis's daughter

Anne of Brittany Anne of Brittany (; 25/26 January 1477 – 9 January 1514) was reigning Duchess of Brittany from 1488 until her death, and Queen of France from 1491 to 1498 and from 1499 to her death. She is the only woman to have been queen consort of France ...

File:DSCN2047.JPG, Side view of Prudence File:Loire Indre Tours6 tango7174.jpg, Fully Renaissance monument to the children of Charles VIII, 1506, Saint-Gatien, Tours File:Mise au tombeau du Christ, Solesmes (moulage).jpg, Entombment of Christ, Solesmes

Notes

References

*Bazin, Germain (1968). ''The History of World Sculpture''. n.p.: Lamplight. *
(Nantes Cathedral) Le tombeau de François II

External links

* 1430s births 1520s deaths 15th-century French sculptors French male sculptors 16th-century French sculptors Artists from Bourges {{France-sculptor-stub