He was a friend of Louis Joseph Watteau (1731–1798), who introduced him to the sculptor Jacques Saly (1717–1776), also from Valenciennes and a man devoted to helping people from the town.
He was also inspired by Dutch masters such as Nicolaes Berchem (1628–1683) and Karel Dujardin (1622–1678), whose works he studied during his free time in the galleries of Paris.
He also set off from Bordeaux for Saint-Domingue in July 1787 - there he filled a 70-page album with pencil, pen and ink drawings.
He also travelled to Ostend, the Rhine Valley, northern Italy, the towns around Bergamo, Verona and Vicenza.
He spent several periods in Brussels before returning to France at the end of his life, dying in Paris.