Coustou

Coustou , family of French sculptors. Nicolas Coustou, 1658-1733, studied with his uncle, Antoine Coysevox, with whom he later collaborated on the decorations at Marly and at Versailles. He became rector and chancellor of the Académie royale. Among his best-known works are La Seine et la Marne (Tuileries Gardens) and the bas-relief, Passage du Rhin (Louvre). His brother, Guillaume Coustou, 1677-1746, also studied with Coysevox and in Rome. Returning to Paris, he worked at Versailles and at Marly. He is famous for his colossal group, The Ocean and the Mediterranean, at Marly, and above all for his exuberant Horses of Marly at the entrance of the Champs Élysées, Paris. His son Guillaume Coustou, the younger, 1716-77, was also a noted sculptor.

Coustou, Guillaume I (b Lyons, 25 Apr. 1677; d Paris, 22 Feb. 1746). The best-known member of a dynasty of French sculptors. He was trained by Coysevox (his mother's brother), and like him worked a good deal for the court. His vigorous style was formed partly on the example of Bernini, whose work he saw in Rome, where he worked c.1697–1700. His masterpieces are the celebrated pair of Horse Tamers (the Marly Horses, 1739–45), originally made for the royal chateau at Marly, then moved to the Place de la Concorde, Paris, and now in the Louvre. Nicolas (1658–1733), Guillaume's brother, was also employed in court circles, and his work can be seen at Versailles and in the Tuileries Gardens in Paris. He was probably the teacher of Roubiliac. Guillaume II (1716–77), the son of Guillaume I, inherited his father's technical skill but little of his originality. Nevertheless, he enjoyed a successful career, his most important work being the monument to Louis de Bourbon (son of Louis XV) and his wife in Sens Cathedral (1766–77). François (d 1690), the father of Guillaume I and Nicolas and the founder of the dynasty, was a minor woodcarver working in Lyons.

Coustou, Guillaume I (1677–1746). The best-known member of a dynasty of French sculptors. He was trained by Coysevox (his mother's brother), and like him worked a good deal for the court. His vigorous style was formed partly on the example of Bernini, whose work he saw in Rome, where he worked c.1697–1700. His masterpieces are the celebrated pair of Horse Tamers (The Marly Horses) (1739–45), made for the royal chateau at Marly, then moved to the Place de la Concorde, Paris, and now in the Louvre. Nicolas (1658–1733), Guillaume's brother, was also employed in court circles, and his work can be seen at Versailles and in the Tuileries Gardens in Paris. He was probably the teacher of Roubiliac. Guillaume II (1716–77), the son of Guillaume I, inherited his father's technical skill but little of his originality. Nevertheless, he enjoyed a successful career, his most important work being the monument to Louis de Bourbon (son of Louis XV) and his wife in Sens Cathedral (1766–77). François (d. 1690), the father of Guillaume I and Nicolas and the founder of the dynasty, was a minor woodcarver working in Lyons.