Jean-François Gilles Colson, the son of

Jean-Baptiste Gilles Jean-Baptiste Gilles (or Gille; 1680–1762), known as Colson, was a French painter of portraits in miniature and water-colours. He was born at Verdun, and assumed his mother's surname of Colson, because the theatres of the fairs had brought ridic ...

, was born in

Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...

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

Avignon Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...

, and of Nonotte at

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

s. On coming to Paris he was presented to the

Duke of Bouillon The Duchy of Bouillon () was a duchy comprising Bouillon, Belgium, 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. Crusad ...

, 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