jean mariette was born in paris, the son of pierre ii mariette (1634–1716) and grandson of pierre i mariette (1596–1657), both wealthy print publishers. he studied drawing, painting, and engraving with his brother-in-law jean-baptiste corneille, but after charles le brun saw some of his engravings and advised him to focus on that, he stopped painting. after his father's death, he took over one of the family's print businesses, the 'librairie des colonnes d'hercule', whereas his older brother, pierre-joseph mariette (1656–1729), inherited the business at the sign of 'l'espérance'. both were on the rue saint-jacques, paris.