Augustin Pajou facts for kids

Portrait of Pajou by Adélaïde Labille-Guiard.

Bust of Michel-Jean Sedaine, 1775, The Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Mercury, 1780.

Augustin Pajou (born September 19, 1730 – died May 8, 1809) was a famous French sculptor. He was born in Paris, France. When he was just eighteen years old, he won the important Prix de Rome award. This award allowed young artists to study in Rome. By the time he was thirty, he showed his sculpture called Pluton holding Cerberus in Chains. You can see this artwork today at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Augustin Pajou's Best Sculptures

Augustin Pajou created many amazing sculptures. Some of his most well-known pieces are:

• Portrait busts: These are sculptures of a person's head and shoulders. He made famous busts of Buffon, a scientist, and Madame du Barry (made in 1773).
• Statuettes: He also made a small statue of Bossuet, a famous French bishop.

All these works are displayed at the Louvre Museum.

Other Important Works

Pajou also helped create the "Fontaine des Innocents" (Fountain of the Innocents) in Paris. This fountain was built by Bernard Poyet. Pajou added several new figures to this beautiful public artwork.

You can also find his bust of Carlin Bertinazzi (made in 1763) at the Comédie-Française, a famous theater in France. He also created a monument for Marie Leszczyńska, who was the Queen of France. This monument was shown in 1769.

Pajou was one of the main artists whose work was collected by the Comédie-Française in the late 1700s. Other artists whose works were collected include Jean-Baptiste d'Huez and Simon-Louis Boizot.

Later in his life, Napoleon asked Pajou to make copies of the famous Medici Lions. These lion sculptures are now in the garden of the Villa Medici in Rome. Augustin Pajou passed away in Paris on May 8, 1809.

Where to See His Art

Augustin Pajou's sculptures are held in many public art collections around the world. Some of these include:

• The Courtauld Institute of Art in London
• The Frick Collection in New York City
• The Hermitage Museum in Russia
• The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles
• The Louvre Museum in Paris
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City
• The National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.
• The National Museum of Art in Iasi, Romania, which has his marble sculpture of Madame du Barry.

Augustin Pajou's Children

Augustin Pajou had two children:

• Jacques-Augustin-Catherine Pajou (1766–1828): He became a painter, following in his father's artistic footsteps.
• Catherine Flore Pajou: She was known as "Tante Cocotte" by her brother. She married the sculptor Claude Michel. Later, she married Pierre-Louis Martin. Flore passed away in Paris in 1841.

See also

In Spanish: Augustin Pajou para niños