Lot Essay
A painter of history and military subjects, Chartier, studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris with Alexandre Cabanel (1823-1889), and exhibited for the first time at the Salon in 1885 (G. Schurr and P. Cabanne, Dictionnaire des petits maîtres de la peinture, 1820-1920, Paris, 1996, I, p. 256). The Musée de l’Armée in Paris holds several paintings by the artist, illustrating the Napoleonic wars, including La Veille de Waterloo (17 juin 1815) (‘The eve of Waterloo’) from 1907 (inv. 04808). In the present work, Chartier leaves behind his military subjects to depict himself in his studio with his palette and brushes.