Cot was born in Bédarieux, Hérault, and initially studied at l'Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Toulouse before going to Paris.

Cot enjoyed the patronage of the academic sculptor Francisque Duret, whose daughter he married, and of Bouguereau, with whom he had also worked.

Bouguereau had dined with the Cot family to celebrate Gabrielle's marriage to an architect named Zilin.

[citation needed] He created several works of lasting popularity, including Springtime, featuring two young lovers sitting upon a swing, and The Storm.

Shortly after his death at the age of forty-six (2 August 1883), a subscription was undertaken for a commemorative monument to the artist, which was erected at Bédarieux in 1892.