DUMONSTIER (DUMOUSTIER), French family of artists
At least 11 artists of this name are known, working variously as painters, draughtsmen, designers, goldsmiths and sculptors, and active from the 16th century to the 18th. The exact relationships of some family members are difficult to determine; these include Cosme Dumonstier I (d Rouen, 1552), a goldsmith known to have worked for Rouen Cathedral; Etienne Dumonstier I (active Rouen, c. 1501), an illuminator working at the château of Gaillon for Cardinal Georges d'Amboise; Cardin (or Carentin) Dumonstier, a sculptor mentioned in the accounts of the Bâtiments du Roi from 1540 to 1550; and Charles Dumonstier, active in the mid-18th century as a painter and engraver: his works include portraits of Louis XV and Marie Leczinska (Paris, Louvre). The main branch of the family began with the painter and illuminator Jean Dumonstier (d. Rouen, c. 1535), whose son Geoffroy Dumonstier followed his profession. Another son, Meston Dumonstier (active c. 1535), was a goldsmith in Rouen. Geoffroy's sons Etienne Dumonstier II, Pierre Dumonstier I and Cosme Dumonstier II (c. 1545-1605), as well as Cosme and Etienne's respective sons, Daniel Dumonstier and Pierre Dumonstier II, are best known as portrait draughtsmen working for the French court. Daniel's sons Etienne III and Nicolas were also artists. The last member of this branch was Nicolas's son Louis Dumonstier (b. 1641), a mediocre reproductive engraver.
