Jean-Baptiste Marie Huet

1745–1811, Paris

Jean-Baptiste Marie Huet is chiefly known as a genre and animal painter, in which disciplines he achieved considerable success. Born in Paris into the family of an artist craftsman, he was drawn almost as a matter of course into the artistic milieu of his time, his development being shaped by such major talents as François Boucher and Jean-Baptiste Le Prince. In 1769 Huet was admitted to full membership of the Paris Academy. The extent of Huet’s activity was considerable. His paintings and drawings – which he largely distributed himself through reproductive engravings – and his designs for ornaments made an important contribution to the artistic taste of his time. He was a technically gifted and engaging minor master, whose work, apart from a few exceptions, steered clear of "grande peinture", a restriction that paved the way for his significant achievements.