Pilon, Germain

(1525/1530-1590)

   French Mannerist artist who became the leading sculptor of France after Jean Goujon's death. Most of the works executed by Pilon are funerary in nature. His Tomb of Henry II and Catherine de' Medici (1563-1570; St. Denis, Paris), the French monarchs, was executed under the direction of Francesco Primaticcio, a member of the Fontainebleau School. The seminude figures are shown as corpses, with the queen in a Venus Pudica pose, her hair sensually cascading over her shoulders. The king is presented with coarse features and greater details of anatomy than his consort. Pilon's Lamentation (c. 1580-1585; Paris, Louvre) was originally part of the decoration in the Chapel of René de Birague, chancellor of France, in the Church of Ste-Catherine du Val-des-Écoliers in Paris. The relief shows overstated curvilinear forms, complex drapery arrangements, and expressive poses and gestures, typical of Pilon's Mannerist style.