Jean Goujon (1520 ? - 1572 ?) was the greatest sculptor of the French Renaissance. Working chiefly in collaboration with the famous architect Fierre Lascot, the fame of Goujon rests largely upon his subtle manner of harmonizing his work with the architecture of his collaborator. The origin of Goujon is unknown, and it is not known when he died. Like many other artists of his day Goujon was a Hugenot (Protestant), and he may have been killed in one of the many attacks upon his co-religionists. He worked with Lascot on the restoration of the church of Saint-Germain-L'Auxerrois in Paris, and two bas-reliefs executed by him are now in the Louvre. At a corner of the Old Cemetery of the Innocents in the Rue aux Fers, Paris, Goujon erected a wonderful series of fountains. In 1786 these fountains were removed and arranged in a public square, where they still are known as the
Fountain of the Innocents. Goujon worked with Lascot on the construction and decoration of the Louvre, and the Gallery of Musicians at the Louvre is a beautiful monument to his genius.
