Claude-Louis Châtelet was born in Paris in 1753. He was a French painter, draughtsman and engraver.

He first distinguished himself by his contribution to the monumental work published by Jean-Benjamin de la Borde, Tableaux topographiques de la Suisse. The engravings were published in three volumes between 1782 and 1788.

Claude-Louis Châtelet quickly gained a reputation as a painter of landscapes, which lead him to be chosen as one of the main illustrators of one for the most important works of the eighteenth century : Voyage pittoresque ou Description des Royaumes de Naples et de Sicile, which was published in four volumes between 1781 and 1786 by the Abbé de Saint-Non. In 1777 Châtelet went to Italy with Vivant Denon, making 132 engraved drawings of Naples, the Puglia, the region of Basilicata, Calabria and Sicily.

Back in France, at the request of Queen Marie-Antoinette, who considered him one of her favourite painters and commissioned many works from him, he helped to illustre albums depicting the Trianon and its gardens. Those albums were offered as a gift by the Queen to her distinguished visitors such as King Gustavus III of Sweden, Emperor Joseph II of Austria or the Archduke Ferdinand, both brothers of Marie-Antoinette. He also illustrated an edition of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's La Nouvelle Héloïse.

At the same time, he painted series of paintings depicting castles, parks and gardens of the region of Paris, which ended up in private collections of enthusiasts like the Abbé de Saint-Non himself, or Richard Mique, the architect of Louis XVI, chosen by Marie-Antoinette to design the buildings of the Hameau de la Reine.

Châtelet also painted numerous animated landscapes of Switzerland, Italy and England.

Imprisoned after the fall of Robespierre, Châtelet fell victim of the Thermidorian Reaction and was guillotined on 7th May 1795.

Source:
Sphinx Fine Art
http://www.sphinxfineart.com/Ch%C3%A2telet-Claude-Louis-DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=45&tabindex=44&artistid=41486

Little is known about Claude Louis Chatelet's artistic training, as the first records of his life appear in 1776 when he accompanied the composer Jean Benjamin de la Borde to Switzerland. In 1777 he embarked on a further sojourn to Italy with Vivant Denon, Louis-Jean Desprez and Jean-Augustin Renard. Alongside vedutas of his homeland of France, he also painted Swiss and Italian landscapes after these visits.

He was especially famed for his watercolors, which were often used as designs for prints and book illustrations, including the famous “Voyage pittoresque ou Description des Royaumes de Naples et de Sicile” by Jean Claude Richard de Saint-Non (Abbé de Saint-Non). This work was published in five volumes from 1781 to 1786 and also included illustrations based on works by Hubert Robert, Fragonard and Vernet. At the same time, Chatelet's Swiss traveling companion de la Borde published the “Tableaux de la Suisse” after drawings by the artist.

Chatelet appears to have been a staunch supporter of the French Revolution and an active member of the Revolutionary Tribunal. However, he was later to face the guillotine himself in 1795 aged just 42 after the fall of Robespierre. Although many watercolors and gouaches by Chatelet are still in existence, his paintings are incredibly rare. Chatelet's works are comparable with those of Hubert Robert, Jean-Honoré Fragonard and Joseph Vernet.