Sambin, Hugues

(1515-1601)

   architect, sculptor, furniture designer

   Born in Gray, near versoul, Hugues Sambin, through his various works, demonstrates a strong interest in the Italian Renaissance. His originality rests in the combination of the italianate style, which was inspired by the designs of antiquity and Burgundian motifs (notably that of a cabbage within a Greek palmette). He worked especially in Dijon (the entrance to the Palace of Justice and to the Compasseur residence). A major figure among 16th-century French cabinetmakers, Sambin published an influential folio of designs, presaging a new classicism that inspired many who came later.