Coustou, Guillaume

Guillaume Coustou, (born 1677, Lyon, Fr.—died 1746, Paris), French sculptor who received many royal commissions. His style was narrative and dramatic, with some affinity to Rococo works.

Coustou was taught by his uncle Antoine Coysevox and spent several years studying in Rome. In 1703 Coustou returned to Paris. His marble statue Hercules on the Funeral Pyre won him acceptance at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, where he received regular promotions until he was appointed director in 1735.

Coustou often worked with his brother Nicolas Coustou, particularly in the decoration of royal domestic architecture at Versailles. Among his last achievements were his famous Horses of Marly (1740–45), for Marly park. This group of statues later decorated the entrance to the Champs-Élysées in Paris before being moved to the Louvre Museum in 1984; copies of the statues are located at Marly and the Place de la Concorde. Coustou also created many busts, including a famous head of his brother Nicolas.