Jean Tijou

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Hampton Court Palace, screen representing England, c. 1700
Plate from his New Book of Drawings, 1693

Jean Tijou (fl. 1689–1712) was a French

Mary II[1] where he was titled as England's Best Wrought-iron Designer. He was employed at St Paul's for twenty years.[2] Not only did he work for royal destinations, but he also worked for estates and other private homes located on the countryside. He left England for the continent c. 1712.[3] He was father-in-law to the painter of decorative schemes Louis Laguerre who married in St Martin-in-the-Fields in London.[1] Tijou had a wife named Ann Tijou as well as a daughter. She was married in the church of St. Martin's. Both wife and daughter were buried there as well. [4]

Little else is known of Jean Tijou or his training other than that he was a master metalworker.

Works

His major commissions include gates and railings for Hampton Court Palace, where he worked between 1689 and 1700;[5] he was paid £2,160 2s 0.25d for the wrought iron screens at the river end of the "Privy Garden" at Hampton Court.[6] He also is known to have worked at Kensington Palace. He produced the screens and grilles of St Paul's Cathedral for Sir Christopher Wren. Tijou's work shown at St. Paul's Cathedral is different from his usual work because it does not contain the repoussé trademark he is known for. Instead it focuses on scrollwork and harmony to the building rather than setting the gate as emphasis no matter the architecture attached to it. [7] He also worked at country houses such as Easton Neston, Burghley and Chatsworth. At Chatsworth his surviving works include the balustrade of the upper flight of the grand staircase and the set of gates known as the Golden Gates, which were moved to their present location at the north entrance to the park in the 19th century.[citation needed]

Tijou elevated

blacksmithing to an art with his lavish Baroque sheet metal overlay on iron structures. To achieve this style of artistry, sheet metal is hammered from the rear of the plate to create form and then used to cover fire welds on foundational iron structures such as gates, hinges, fence work or wall deco pieces.[8] Tijou used wrought iron because of the workability it provided. He was able to use charcoal wrought iron in sheets for his portion of repoussé work. The use of wrought iron allowed Tijou to work in more three dimensionality than seen before in other iron work. [9] Many works by Tijou were gilded
.

It is possible that a portrait of Jean Tijou appears at the bottom of the title page of a book entitled A New Book of Drawings Invented and Designed [sic] by John Tijou,

Michiel van der Gucht.[10] The book or album contains 20 designs, and was the first book of ironwork designs published in England.[11] The book had high quality of illustration which helped mark it as his own and set it apart from other books on iron work. Many other catalogues followed this book throughout the Victorian Era. [12]

Influence on Ironwork

After Jean Tijou left England in 1712, his work continued to be influential to other artists. Starting in the 18th century cast iron became more popular for its use within wrought iron assemblies. It was also used alone for structures such as railings that required less ornament and detail. The Iron work of Tijou even influences the entrance gates that are seen at Chirk Castle located near Llangollen (1719). While the original cast iron gates at St. Paul's Cathedral were not approved (removed in 1714), they provided one of the earliest examples of decorative cast iron work. These gates inspired the creativity of decoration on cast iron to be explored during the golden age. Jean Tijou's use of cast iron shows his in depth understanding for the use of materials. [13]

Gallery

  • Golden Gates, Kensington Palace, late 17th century, attributed to Tijou
    Golden Gates, Kensington Palace, late 17th century, attributed to Tijou
  • View from the outside of screens at Hampton Court Palace, c. 1700
    View from the outside of screens at Hampton Court Palace, c. 1700
  • Hampton Court Palace, screen representing Scotland, c. 1700
    Hampton Court Palace, screen representing Scotland, c. 1700
  • Hampton Court Palace, screen representing Ireland, c. 1700
    Hampton Court Palace, screen representing Ireland, c. 1700
  • Hampton Court Palace, screen
    Hampton Court Palace, screen
  • Gates in St Paul's Cathedral, London
    Gates in St Paul's Cathedral, London
  • Burghley House, entrance, with Tijou's Golden Gates at the base
    Burghley House, entrance, with Tijou's Golden Gates at the base
  • Burghley House, with Tijou's Golden Gates in background
    Burghley House, with Tijou's Golden Gates in background
  • Balustrade of King's Staircase, Hampton Court Palace, c. 1695
    Balustrade of King's Staircase, Hampton Court Palace, c. 1695

References

  1. ^ a b Lister 1957, p. 92.
  2. ^ Lucas, Justin (April 2019). "Challenging the Aesthetics and Functionality of Metals in Contemporary Blacksmithing" (PDF). Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Lister 1957, p. 93.
  4. ISBN 978-1-4733-4018-3
    .
  5. ^ Harris 1960, p. 4.
  6. ^ Lister 1957, p. 94.
  7. OCLC 960041197
    .
  8. ^ "Engraving of Tijou, Jean on V&A Search the Collections)".
  9. OCLC 960041197
    .
  10. ^ Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. "Album, New Book of Drawings". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  11. ^ V&A Museum
  12. OCLC 960041197
    .
  13. OCLC 960041197
    .

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jean Tijou.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jean_Tijou&oldid=1211489951"