Jean Tijou

Hampton Court Palace, screen representing England, c. 1700
Plate from his New Book of Drawings, 1693

Jean Tijou (fl. 1689–1712) was a French Huguenot ironworker. He is known solely through his work in England, where he worked on several of the key English Baroque buildings. Very little is known of his biography. He arrived in England in c. 1689 and enjoyed the patronage of William III and 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.

  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. ^ Lister 1957, p. 93.
  4. ^ Gardner, J. Starkie (2017-09-15). English Ironwork of the XVIIth and XVIIIth Centuries - An Historical and Analytical Account of the Development of Exterior Smithcraft. Read Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-4733-4018-3.