Jean Goujon (c. 1510 – c. 1565)Thirion, Jacques (1996). "Goujon, Jean" in ''The Dictionary of Art'', edited by Jane Turner; vol. 13, pp. 225–227. London: Macmillan. Reprinted 1998 with minor corrections: . was a French Renaissance sculptor and architect.

Biography

His early life is little known; he was probably born in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

and may have traveled in Italy. He worked at the church of Saint-Maclou, his earliest documented work, and the

Rouen Cathedral Rouen Cathedral (french: Cathédrale primatiale Notre-Dame de l'Assomption de Rouen) is a Roman Catholic church in Rouen, Normandy, France. It is the see of the Archbishop of Rouen, Primate of Normandy. It is famous for its three towers, each i ...

, in 1541-42, where he executed the monument to Louis de Brézé, seigneur d'Anet, before arriving in Paris, where he collaborated with the architect

Pierre Lescot Pierre Lescot (c. 1515 – 10 September 1578) was a French architect active during the French Renaissance. His most notable works include the Fontaine des Innocents and the Lescot wing of the Louvre in Paris. He played an important role in t ...

at the church of Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois about 1544, working on the pulpit, which was dismantled in the mid-eighteenth century. In 1544-1547 he was occupied with considerable works at the Château d’Ecouen for the connétable de Montmorency. He became "sculptor to the king" (

Henry II of France Henry II (french: Henri II; 31 March 1519 – 10 July 1559) was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559. The second son of Francis I and Duchess Claude of Brittany, he became Dauphin of France upon the death of his elder bro ...

) in 1547 and in the next years was occupied at the Château of Anet. He was then imprisoned at Ecouen in 1555. His most famous works are the sculptural decorations made in collaboration with Lescot for the western extension of the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

, 1555-62. A fine representative of Mannerism in France, Goujon's figures are elongated, sensual and fluid; his drapery work reveals knowledge of Greek sculpture, though certainly not at first hand. He is also responsible for engravings for Jean Martin's 1547 translation of

Vitruvius Vitruvius (; c. 80–70 BC – after c. 15 BC) was a Roman architect and engineer during the 1st century BC, known for his multi-volume work entitled '' De architectura''. He originated the idea that all buildings should have three attribut ...

and for work on the Château of Ecouen, for the Montmorency family. In 1562, Goujon left France for religious reasons (he was a

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

). The purity and gracefulness of his style were disseminated throughout France by engravings by artists of the School of Fontainebleau and had an influence in the decorative arts. His reputation was slightly eclipsed at the end of the century by more mannered tendencies, but was appreciated by French Classicism. Goujon was a Protestant; he escaped the

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion is the term which is used in reference to a period of civil war between French Catholics and Protestants, commonly called Huguenots, which lasted from 1562 to 1598. According to estimates, between two and four mi ...

by exiling himself in Italy in 1562. He probably died in

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...

, where he is last documented in 1563 as a member of a group of Huguenot refugees.

Works

His most famous works include: * '' Fountain of the Innocents'' (1547–1550) - Goujon sculpted the six

nymphs A nymph ( grc, νύμφη, nýmphē, el, script=Latn, nímfi, label=Modern Greek; , ) in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity. Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are ...

that decorate this public fountain designed by

. The fountain is currently located - in a much truncated form - in the Les Halles section of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

; original bas-reliefs are located at the

* ''Caryatids'' (1550–1551) - for the musician's platform in the

, these are highly reminiscent of the

Erechtheum The Erechtheion (latinized as Erechtheum /ɪˈrɛkθiəm, ˌɛrɪkˈθiːəm/; Ancient Greek: Ἐρέχθειον, Greek: Ερέχθειο) or Temple of Athena Polias is an ancient Greek Ionic temple-telesterion on the north side of the Acropoli ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. * ''Allegories on the facade of the

'' (1549-155) - these are found in the '' Cour Carrée'' (or "square courtyard") of the

* ''The Four Seasons'' (''illustrations'') made for the courtyard façade of the hôtel of Jacques de Ligeris, now housing the Musée Carnavalet, Paris. To Goujon is usually attributed the engravings of the French version of Francesco Colonna's ''Songe de Poliphile'' (1546), based on the engravings of the original edition (which may be due to the studio of Mantegna). The famous '' Fountain of Diana (Diana with a Stag)'' (c. 1549)

, designed for

Diane de Poitiers Diane de Poitiers (9 January 1500 – 25 April 1566) was a French noblewoman and prominent courtier. She wielded much power and influence as King Henry II's royal mistress and adviser until his death. Her position increased her wealth and famil ...

for the

Château d'Anet The Château d'Anet is a château near Dreux, in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France, built by Philibert de l'Orme from 1547 to 1552 for Diane de Poitiers, the mistress of Henry II of France. It was built on the former château at the ...

, was long believed to be by Goujon or his workshop. It is now thought more likely to have been the work of Germain Pilon. Blunt, Anthony; Beresford, Richard (1999). ''Art and Architecture in France, 1500–1700'', 5th edition, pp. 80–81. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. .

Gallery

File:Fontaine des Innocents reliefs. Louvre, Paris.jpg, Stone reliefs of nymphs
from the

Fontaine des Innocents The Fontaine des Innocents is a monumental public fountain located on the place Joachim-du-Bellay in the Les Halles district in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. Originally called the ''Fountain of the Nymphs'', it was constructed be ...

File:Tribune-louvre (3).jpg,

Caryatides A caryatid ( or or ; grc, Καρυᾶτις, pl. ) is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head. The Greek term ''karyatides'' literally means "ma ...

, Salle des Caryatides at the

(1550–51) File:Pediment war cour Carree Louvre.jpg, ''Allegory of War'', central pediment of the Lescot Wing of the Louvre File:Goujon, les quatre saisons 03.JPG, ''The Four Seasons'' (c.1547)
Musée Carnavalet, Paris

References

External links

*
Imago Mundi: Jean Goujon
* Lister, Reginald, "Jean Goujon : his life and work" (1903) London: Duckworth
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goujon, Jean 1510s births Architects from Rouen French architectural sculptors 16th-century French sculptors 16th-century French architects French male sculptors 16th-century deaths Huguenots Calvinist and Reformed artists

Biography

Works

Gallery

See also

References

External links