SwissArtGallery · Documented identity
Charles Joshua Chaplin (1825–1891), a painter and engraver, was born in Les Andelys and died in Paris. The son of an English father, he inherited English nationality before becoming a naturalised French citizen in 1886. He entered the École des beaux-arts de Paris in 1841 and studied under Michel-Martin Drölling; he exhibited at the Salon from 1845 and took part in it until the end of his life, according to the biography consulted.
At the beginning of his career, Chaplin painted landscapes and rural scenes, drawing in particular on his stays in Auvergne and Lozère. He later abandoned this direction in favour of female portraits, sought after by clients from high society. Several works held in public collections attest to the range of subjects recorded: The Dream and Devotion, both dated 1857, are held respectively at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Marseille and the Walters Art Museum; the Portrait of Madame Charles Chaplin (1863) is listed at the Petit Palais, while The Game of Lotto (1865) is held in Rouen. Souvenirs, dated 1882, is reported to be held at the Musée d’Orsay.
His work also included decoration: Empress Eugénie bought paintings from him and commissioned him in 1864 to decorate her apartments at the Tuileries; Chaplin also created decorative schemes for private mansions in Paris and Brussels, as well as for the Salon de l’Hémicycle at the Palais de l’Élysée. The biography credits him with several Salon medals in the 1850s and 1860s, followed by the ranks of Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur in 1879 and Officer in 1881.
This profile brings together identity references for Charles Joshua Chaplin and paintings, drawings and works on paper documented in auction catalogues.
6 references are documented at Dobiaschofsky, Koller, Piguet, DognyAuction. Each record links to its source; the amounts are not a general valuation of the artist’s work.
Oil on canvas
Une bacchante.
Öl auf Leinwand
Catalogue period : 2013-05-17
Published result : 2700 CHF
Fees not specified in the available data
Estimate : CHF 2800
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Oil on canvas
Nu féminin allongé.
Öl auf Leinwand
Date to be documented
Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed
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Oil on canvas on wood
Junge Dame mit Tauben. 1874.
Öl auf Leinwand auf Holz
Date to be documented
Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed
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Oil on canvas
"Venus et Amour"
huile sur toile
Catalogue period : 2016-06-15
Published result : 1100 CHF
Fees not specified in the available data
Estimate : CHF 1000–1500
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Oil on canvas
Séléné dormant sur les nuages
huile sur toile
Date to be documented
Published result : 6862 CHF
Fees not specified in the available data
View the lot at the auction house ↗These references are shown separately because of their attribution or lot composition. Each record states the reason.
Oil on canvas
Attribué à Charles Josuah Chaplin — Vénus émergeant de la forge de Vulcain
huile sur toile
attribué à
Catalogue period : 2025-11-27 — 2025-12-10
Attributed to
Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed
Estimate : CHF 500–700
View the lot at the auction house ↗SwissArtGallery documentary note based on the cited sources. Titles, media and qualifications are provided in the profile language; the original catalogue wording remains available in each record.
Documentation updated : 2026-10-19
