Charles Gaudelet was a notable master glass-maker and occasional watercolourist.
Born in Paris, as Jean Charles Paul Gaudelet, little is known about Gaudelet's education. It’s evident, though, that he trained either under a local master or via one of the foremost academies. By the late 1840s, he’d produced stained glass for numerous ecclesiastical buildings, including for the Église Saint-André de Lille. He worked alongside the painter, Victor-Louis Mottez (1809-1897), and Bruno Joseph Chérier (1817-1880). Many of his works were completed in Lille, where he spent most of his life.
He was known as a skilful technician, with a remarkable sense of pride in his work, which isn’t surprising given his keenness as a collector. Following his death in 1870, an estate sale included a variety of decorative objects and curiosities, from Sèvres porcelain throughout to Flemish and Dutch 17th-century paintings.
It’s interesting that he collected works by the Flemish-born Dutch still life painter, Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder (1573-1621), as there’s a similarity in styles. Bosschaert’s floral still lifes, when designed with a vertical composition, such as his Still Life With Flowers from 1618, are clearly an inspiration.
He was a member of the Commission of the Museum of Archaeology.
Known For
Stained glass, precise still lifes in watercolour.
Lived In
Paris, Lille.
Sold Through
Christie’s.
Timeline
1817
Born Jean Charles Paul Gaudelet in Paris to Charles Zacharie Gaudelet and Marie Gaudelet (nee Lejeune).
1841
Married Marguerite Dudouit in Choisy-le-Roi, Paris.
1843-1860
Watercolours can be dated to this period.
1860
Awarded a gold medal by The Imperial Society of Sciences and Arts of Lille.
1870
Died in Lille.
Described By Others
Notes on art and archaeology by Society of Saint John, Paris, 1903.
“Among the main embellishments of the chapel, it is worth mentioning the remarkable stained glass windows by the skilled glass painter Charles Gaudelet. One of these stained-glass windows represents the Count of Flanders, Philip the Handsome, granting the Brotherhood of Saint Barbara the letters patent of 1497, confirming its existence and its privileges; another shows the gunners of Lille defending their ramparts, under the protection of the Holy Virgin, Saint Barbara and Saint Maurice.”
Biological Bulletin of France and Belgium by University of Paris. Laboratory for the Evolution of Organized Beings, 1870.
“M. Charles Gaudelet, stained-glass painter, in Lille, died on August 3rd. Mr. Gaudelet was a skilled artist. The Imperial Society of Sciences and Arts of Lille awarded him a gold medal at its public meeting in 1860. The Church of Saint-Maurice in Lille owes its best stained-glass windows to Mr. Gaudelet's brushes. He worked on those of Cologne Cathedral and executed the six stained-glass windows of the Church of Saint-Louis in Paris. Mr. Gaudelet was a member of the Commission of the Museum of Archaeology. An enlightened collector, he leaves behind a curious collection, much appreciated by connoisseurs.”