The directory «Artists»

Chalon John James
(1778—1854)

John James Chalon RA was a painter of landscape, genre and animals both in oils and watercolour. He was brother of A E Chalon and born in Geneva of French parents. He came to England in 1789 when his father became French professor at Sandhurst. Chalon entered the RA Schools in 1796 and exhibited between 1808-1854. In total he exhibited 86 works at the RA, 48 at the British Institute and 55 at OWS. In 1816 he exhibited an important work at the RA, ‘Napoleon on Board the Bellerophon’ and ‘The Gravel Pit’ at the International Exhibition in 1862, which is said to be one of his best works. Redgrave notes that “in his early days much of his time was given up to teaching, and although he was an exhibitor for fifty years his works are comparatively few”. He was a friend of C R Leslie who wrote of him that few painters “had so great a range of talent”. He painted landscapes, figure and animal subjects, and marine pictures with equal facility and success. He published in 1820 ‘Sketches from Parisian Manners’.

Ajman, 1971, Napoleon on board the «Bellerophon»