Jehan Cousin the younger
French painter and sculptor
1522 CE to 1595 CE
Jehan Cousin the younger ("le jeune") (ca.
1522-1595) was born in Sens, France around 1522, the son of the famous painter and sculptor Jean Cousin the Elder ca.
1490-ca.
1560) who was often compared to his noted contemporary, Albrecht Dürer.
Having trained to become an artist under his father, Jehan le jeune shows as much talent as his father, and their work is nearly indistinguishable even to the expert.
Just before his death, Jehan the elder publishes his noted work Livre de Perspective in 1560 in which he notes that his son would soon be publishing a companion entitled, Livre de Pourtraicture.
While there have been some reports that an edition of Livre de Pourtraicture was first printed in 1571 and again in 1589, no copies appear to exist.
Instead, the most likely first printing of the work was 1595 in Paris by David Leclerc, with woodcuts engraved by Jean Leclerc, just after Jehan le jeune's death.
The book is one of the most famous on the subject of artistic anatomy and was printed again and again into the late 17th century.
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Jean Cousin, the son, had followed his famous father, Jean Cousin, to Paris and become a student in his studio, which he had taken over when his father died in 1560/61.
He had achieved the title of master painter early in his career in Paris.
He has left Paris on occasion to work in other locations: he had journeyed to Sens in 1563 to consult on the preparations for the entrance of Charles IX, and had painted a series of portraits of his family there.
Also in 1563, Cousin had decorated the window and sculptures of the chapel of the Château de Fleurigny.
He has from 1565 sculpted the tomb for Philippe de Chabot, Seigneur de Brion, who had been reinstated as grand admiral of France by the time of his death in 1543.
There is some controversy surrounding Cousin's exact contribution to the piece, though it is now believed he made the ornamental border.
His style generally remains faithful to his father's, so it is difficult to distinguish many of their works, which are undated.
His most important surviving work is the Last Judgment, now in the Louvre, the theme of which is the insignificance of human life; the composition suggests both Florentine Mannerism and Flemish influences.
Cousin also is noted for his drawing style, best represented in the emblematic style of his Livre de Fortune, published in 1568.
Jehan Cousin the son, noted for his painting, engraving, stained glass, sculpture, and book illustration, has, like his father, achieved fame for his versatility and independent style.
Notable later works include his engraving Moses Showing the Serpent to the People, his stained glass Judgment of Solomon (1586), and his illustrations for Ovid's Metamorphosis.