Among them a prominent place
belongs to Francois Dujardin (or Desjardin), goldsmith of Charles IX
(1560-1574) and Henri III (1574-1589). When a verification and an
inventory of the French Crown Jewels were made on August 1, 1574,
after the death of Charles IX, the expert examination was entrusted to
Francois Dujardin, who is termed "orfebvre et lapidaire du Roy". The
goldsmith's art was passed down from father to son in this family: a
second F. Dujardin (b. ca. 1565) mounted the parures made for
Elizabeth of Austria, daughter of Henri IV and Maria de' Medici. In
the reign of Henri IV and the succeeding regency of Maria de' Medici,
Josse de Langerac, received as master goldsmith in 1594, and the
brothers Rogier, are noted as leading goldsmiths who, besides
executing many fine jewels, frequently made loans of money to the
Queen Regent, and seem to have experienced great difficulty in
securing full payment. Corneille Rogier set the jewels worn at her
marriage by Anne d'Autriche, wife of Louis XIII. Two brothers, each
bearing the name Pierre Courtois, are also noted in old records. One
of them, at the time of his death, in 1611, occupied two apartments
with two shops in the Louvre; the shop of the other had the sign "Aux
Trois Roys", probably referring to the "Three Kings of the East", the
Magi of the Gospel, very appropriate patrons for goldsmiths.
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