| Timeline |
| 1758 |
Born 4 April in Burgundy |
| 1774 |
Sent to the Dijon Academy by the bishop of Mācon |
| 1777 |
Marries |
| 1780 |
Arrives in Paris |
| 1784 |
Travels in Italy |
| 1784 |
Wins the Dijon prix de Rome |
| 1791 |
First exhibit at the Salon |
| 1801 |
Receives commissions from Napoleon |
| 1803 |
Wife dies, he initiates an affair with student Constance Mayer |
| 1808 |
Made chevalier of the Legion of Honour |
| 1810 |
Appointed drawing master to the Empress Marie-Louise |
| 1816 |
Gains membership in the Institute de France |
| 1821 |
Companion and pupil Constance Mayer commits suicide in his studio |
| 1823 |
Dies 16 February in Paris |
