Antoine Le Moiturier

Mourners, tomb of Philippe Pot, now located in the Louvre, circa 1480

Tomb of Duke John the Fearless and Margaret of Bavaria by Antoine Le Moiturier, Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy

Antoine Le Moiturier (1425–1495) was a French sculptor.

Le Moiturier was born in Avignon into a family of sculptors. His uncle was the itinerant French master Jacques Morel.

Following from the work of Jean de la Huerta beginning in 1443, Le Moiturier completed a group of sculptures of grieving monks known as the Mourners of Dijon. Completed in 1470, these sculptures are in the architectural frieze on the tombs of Duke John the Fearless and Margaret of Bavaria. They reside at the Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy in Dijon.^[1] The job had originally been assigned to the workshop of Claus Sluter, but went to Le Moiturier and De la Huerta.^[2]

In 1461, le Moiturier was hired by Canon Jacques Oboli to create an altarpiece for St Pierre, Avignon. Oboli died before the work could be completed, and in 1463 the church commissioned an altarpiece depicting the Last Judgement. le Moiturier completed this two years later. This stellar work included statues of Jesus, Saint Peter and Paul, and several angels. Today, only two sculptures remain of the more than sixteen that were originally in the sculpture.^[3]

Le Moiturier is also believed to have made the pleurants (mourners) on the tomb of Philippe Pot (1477–83).^[4]

References

1. "Dukes of Burgundy tombs (French)" (PDF). Retrieved 2013-06-10.
2. Baker, Kenneth (2011-09-01). "Review of Court of Burgundy's Mourners". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2013-06-10.
3. "Antoine Le Moiturier". Answers Corporation. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
4. Hofstatter, Hans H., Art of the MIddle Ages, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1968, p 137, 256.