CHÂTELET, Claude-Louis

(b. 1753 Paris, d. 1794 Paris)

French painter. Little is known about his artistic training, Alongside vedutas of his homeland of France, he also painted Swiss and Italian landscapes after his visits. He was especially famed for his watercolours, which were often used as designs for prints and book illustrations.

He produced Swiss views, sea-pieces, and pastoral scenes in the style of Claude-Joseph Vernet. Although many watercolours and gouaches by Châtelet are still in existence, his paintings are rare. Examples of his work are in the Orléans Museum, the Palace at Fontainebleau, and the Cottier Collection.

He embraced with ardour the cause of the Revolution, allied himself with Robespierre and the leaders of the Jacobins, and became a member of the Revolutionary Tribunal. He was arrested some months after the 9th Thermidor, tried, condemned, and executed in Paris, May 7, 1795.

View of the Cascata delle Marmore

The painting depicts a view of the Cascata delle Marmore, near Terni, outside Rome, with a group of elegantly dressed figures picnicking in the foreground and fishermen by the water’s edge.

The Cascata delle Marmore is a man-made waterfall created by the ancient Romans. Its total height is 165 m, making it one of the tallest in Italy and the tallest man-made waterfall in Europe. The falls were popular sites for eighteenth-century vedutisti.

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View of the Large Cascade

The painting depicts a view of the large cascade with fishermen in the foreground, a house atop the cliff and an aqueduct beyond.

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