Fireplace, bedroom of Diane de Poitiers, Château de Chenonceau
Jean Goujon
mid 16th century?
As the mistress of Henri II, Diane de Poitiers was the unofficial "owner" of the chateau. This was her bedroom. The large chimney piece has the initials of Henri and Catherine de' Medici marching across the mantel and today the portrait of the wife, Catherine, above the mantel! The artist, Jean Goujon, was associated with Mannerist artists, especially the School of Fontainebleau, and was influenced by the elegant eroticism of the Italian sculptor Cellini.
Caryatid-like figures
Goujon sculpted caryatids for the decoration of the Louvre as well as the tomb of Louis de Brézé (c. 1540) in the Rouen Cathedral.