Little pet

(1825 Andelys – 1891 Paris) Little Darling. A charming, delicately colored portrait of a young girl in a tender, white, closely-fitted dress, gently holding a cat in her arms and gazing softly and directly at the viewer. This subtly artificial work is by Chaplin, whose motif the artist often depicted, including a variant with a dog. Trained by Michel-Martin Drolling, Chaplin initially created landscapes, but later devoted himself to so-called salon painting in the tradition of works by François Boucher (1703–1770). Oil, canvas mounted on panel; signed; 54.7 cm x 37.7 cm. In a frame.