Background
He was the son of German-born cabinet-maker Jean-Henri Riesener (1743–1806) and the father of the Romantic painter Léon Riesener (1808–1878).
He was the son of German-born cabinet-maker Jean-Henri Riesener (1743–1806) and the father of the Romantic painter Léon Riesener (1808–1878).
First studying under Vincent then David, he finally left David"s studio to join the army at the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars, fighting in Italy and Egypt. On his return to France, Riesener began working as a portraitist and miniaturist. He made 50 copies of his original portrait of Napoleon I, drawn during a dinner.
Later, he accepted commissions from British patrons.
He remained in Russia and Poland for seven years, staying in Moscow (1816–1823), Saint St. Petersburg and Warsaw. He painted all the celebrities there and collaborated with Sewbach on an equestrian portrait of Alexander I of Russia.