François Marius Granet

Son of a master mason, Granet received early artistic training from J.-A. Constantin (1756-1844) at the free drawing academy in Aix. A fellow pupil was the highborn Auguste de Forbin (1777-1841), who became his most important friend and patron. In 1793 Granet participated in the siege of Toulon, where he met Bonaparte and worked as a draftsman with the artillery battery. Three years later he made his first visit to Paris, where he admired and copied Dutch and Flemish paintings in the Louvre. In 1798 Granet returned to Paris to join Forbin in the atelier of David (q.v.), but he had to leave...