Jean Francois grew up in an artistic family, his father being Jean-Baptiste Huet. Jean-Baptiste was a skilled draughtsman and painter, and excelled in pastoral scenes with landscapes and animals. As a student to him, Jean Francois did not completely follow in his father’s footsteps, taking up the miniature as an art form instead. At some point following his first few exhibitions in the Paris Salon, Jean Francois must have acquainted with the Duke and Duchess of York (at the time Prince Frederick and Princess Frederica), becoming their chief miniature painter. The exact date at which he did this is not known, but it is thought to have been either in 1804 or 1808. This appointment, bringing him away from Paris and to Britain, meant that he begam to exhibit in the Royal Academy instead. He did so between 1803 and 1813, the final exhibition being in the year in which he died.

[1] The collector Ernest Salaman was related to the artistic Jewish family. He exhibited eight works at the “Miniatures at the British Empire Exhibition” in Wembley, London, as well at the famous Burlington Fine Arts Club exhibition of 1889.