Gillet, Nicolas François

Born Mar. 2, 1709, in Metz, Lotharingia (Lorraine); died Feb. 7, 1791, in Paris. French sculptor.

Gillet studied at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in Paris (until 1745) and at the French Academy in Rome (1746–52). He was a professor at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts (1758–77). He was the teacher of F. I. Shubin, F. G. Gordeev, M. I. Kozlovskii, F. F. Shchedrin, and I. P. Prokof’ev. He returned to Paris in 1778. He was a master of decorative and ornamental sculpture. His works (bust of the Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich, bronze, 1765, Russian Museum, Leningrad) combine rococo elements with the classical style.