Augustin Ménageot, born c. 1700 in France, was a member of the Academie de Saint-Luc in Paris, but he does not seem to have been successful as a painter either in France or England, where he spent the years from 1740 to 1755 in London. It was in London that he began his career as a dealer, but he returned to Paris about 1755. Here he established himself, becoming well-known and highly thought of as an expert in the art market, and involved in many sales. He was Denis Diderot's adviser, and was the agent for many of the acquisitions made by Catherine II of Russia through Diderot. His son, François-Guillaume Ménageot (1744-1816), was a painter. [Compiled from sources and references recorded on CMS]