Jean Goujon ()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 (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

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

Rouen Cathedral Rouen Cathedral () is a Catholic church architecture, church in Rouen, Normandy, France. It is the Episcopal see, see of the Archbishop of Rouen, Primate of Normandy. It is famous for its three towers, each in a different style. The cathedral, b ...

, in 1541-42, where he executed the monument to

Louis de Brézé, seigneur d'Anet Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS Louis, HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy Se ...

, before arriving in Paris, where he collaborated with the architect Pierre Lescot 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 (; 31 March 1519 – 10 July 1559) was List of French monarchs#House of Valois-Angoulême (1515–1589), King of France from 1547 until his death in 1559. The second son of Francis I of France, Francis I and Claude of France, Claude, Du ...

) 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 a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

, 1555-62. A fine representative of

Mannerism Mannerism is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, when the Baroque style largely replaced it ...

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 ( ; ; –70 BC – after ) was a Roman architect and engineer during the 1st century BC, known for his multi-volume work titled . As the only treatise on architecture to survive from antiquity, it has been regarded since the Renaissan ...

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 ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

). 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 were a series of civil wars between French Catholic Church, Catholics and Protestantism, Protestants (called Huguenots) from 1562 to 1598. Between two and four million people died from violence, famine or disease di ...

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

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

, 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 (; ; sometimes spelled nymphe) is a minor female nature deity in ancient Greek folklore. Distinct from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature; they are typically tied to a specific place, land ...

that decorate this public fountain designed by Pierre Lescot. The fountain is currently located - in a much truncated form - in the

Les Halles Les Halles (; 'The Halls') was Paris' central fresh food market. It last operated on 12 January 1973 and was replaced by an underground shopping centre and a park. The unpopular modernist development was demolished yet again in 2010, and replac ...

section of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

; 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 (, Latinisation of names, latinized as Erechtheum ; , ) or Temple of Athena Polias is an Classical Greece, ancient Greek Ionic order, Ionic Ancient Greek temple, temple on the north side of the Acropolis of Athens, Acropolis, Athe ...

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

. * ''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 The Musée Carnavalet () in Paris is dedicated to the History of Paris, history of the city. The museum occupies two neighboring mansions: the Hôtel Carnavalet and the former Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint Fargeau. On the advice of Baron Haussmann, ...

, 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 courtier who wielded much power and influence as King Henry II of France, Henry II's Maîtresse-en-titre, royal mistress and adviser until his death. Her position inc ...

for the Château d'Anet, 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 File:Tribune-louvre (3).jpg, Caryatides, 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