Ligier Richier (c. 1500 – 1567): Sculptor of Sorrow and Stone Ligier Richier stands as a singular figure in the artistic landscape of 16th-century France, renowned primarily for his profoundly expressive sculptures—particularly those depicting scenes from the Passion of Christ—and for his masterful manipulation of limestone. Born around 1500 in Saint-Mihiel, Lorraine, he emerged from a family steeped in sculptural tradition, inheriting a legacy that would shape his artistic vision and propel him to prominence within the humanist circles of his time. Despite the scarcity of biographical detai…