Jean-François Gilles Colson, the son of Jean-Baptiste Gilles, was born in

Dijon Dijon (, , ) (dated) * it, Digione * la, Diviō or * lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920. The earlies ...

in 1733. He was a pupil of his father, of Frère Imbert at

Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label=Provençal dialect, Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of So ...

, and of Nonotte at

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

s. On coming to Paris he was presented to the

Duke of Bouillon The Duchy of Bouillon (french: Duché de Bouillon) was a duchy comprising Bouillon and adjacent towns and villages in present-day Belgium. The state originated in the 10th century as property of the Lords of Bouillon, owners of Bouillon Castle. ...

, who kept him in constant employment for forty years as architect, sculptor, painter, and even gardener. He gained a high reputation as a portrait painter, and left several manuscripts on perspective, poetry, and the fine arts. He died in Paris in 1803.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gilles Colson, Jean-Francois 1733 births 1803 deaths 18th-century French painters French male painters 19th-century French painters Artists from Dijon 19th-century French male artists 18th-century French male artists