(1535–90). French sculptor Germain Pilon’s work, principally monumental tombs, is a transitional link between the Gothic tradition and the sculpture of the Baroque period.
Born in 1535 in Paris, France, to a sculptor, Pilon was employed at the age of 20 on the decoration of the tomb of King Francis I at Saint-Denis. His earlier work clearly shows an Italian influence, but eventually he developed a more distinctively French expression by fusing elements from classical art, Gothic sculpture, and Michelangelo with the Fontainebleau adaptation of Mannerism, a style characterized by subjective conceptions, studied elegance, and virtuoso artifice.
Pilon’s best-known works are funerary sculptures for Henry II. His monument for the heart of Henry II (circa 1561; Louvre) consists of three marble Graces of great elegance supporting an urn. It was perhaps based on a design by Primaticcio. For the principal tomb of Henry II and Catherine de Médicis at Saint-Denis (1563–70), also designed by Primaticcio, Pilon created four bronze corner figures and, above, the kneeling figures of the king and queen in bronze. Most important, however, are the seminude, marble gisants, or figures of the royal pair recumbent in death, which are considered by some to be his most sublime achievement.
Sculptor royal from 1568, Pilon had a successful career as a portraitist, his finest work in the genre being the kneeling figure of René de Birague (1583–85; Louvre). Appointed controller of the mint in 1572, he contributed to French medal casting a distinguished series of bronze medallions in 1575. Pilon died February 3, 1590, in Paris.