Jean Goujon

Born circa 1510; died between 1564 and 1568. probably in Bologna. French Renaissance sculptor.

In 1540 and 1541, Goujon worked in Rouen, and circa 1543 or 1544 he moved to Paris and worked with P. Lescot. Goujon’s reliefs for the church of St. Germain I’Auxerrois (1544) and Fountain of the Innocents in Paris (1547–49), all in the Louvre in Paris, are distinguished by their secular, Renaissance world view, their subtle poetic spirituality, the grace of their soft chiaroscuro modeling, the refinement of their elongated proportions, and their complex linear rhythms (derived in part from Mannerism). Goujon worked on the sculptural design of the Lignières Hotel (now Carnavalet; c. 1545) and the Louvre (the eastern court facade, late 1540’s and 1550’s), built by Lescot. For the Caryatid Tribune in the Louvre, he sculpted the female figures (marble. 1550) supporting the rostrum. In his capacity as a graphic artist, Goujon illustrated Vitruvius’ treatise (woodcut, 1547).