Antoine-Jean Gros

Antoine-Jean Gros's parents, who were both miniaturists, taught their son painting at an early age. He also pursued his education with Elisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun (1755-1842), David (q.v.), whose studio he entered in 1785, and at the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture two years later. Discouraged by his unsuccessful attempt for the Prix de Rome in 1792 and following his father's death, he ended his studies and supported himself by portrait painting. David helped him secure a passport and Gros left for Italy in 1793. In Genoa he met Joséphine de Beauharnais, who later introduced...