# Charles L'Eplattenier artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/charles-l-eplattenier/
Profile generated: 2026-05-24T03:30:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1874-10-09
- Death date: 1946-06-07
- Nationality: Swiss
- Movements: Art Nouveau (Style Sapin)
- Common media: oil painting, sculpture, architectural ornament and decorative arts

## About Charles L'Eplattenier

Charles L'Éplattenier (1874–1946) was a Swiss painter, sculptor, and architect recognized as the principal creator of Style Sapin, the regional expression of Art Nouveau centered in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Born in Neuchâtel on October 9, 1874, he studied and later taught at the École d'Art de La Chaux-de-Fonds, where his pupils included the young Charles-Édouard Jeanneret—better known as Le Corbusier. L'Éplattenier's approach drew on the natural forms of the Swiss Jura, particularly pine-tree motifs, which became the defining decorative vocabulary of Style Sapin across architecture, furniture, metalwork, and painting. His interdisciplinary practice bridged fine art and applied design, helping establish a distinctly Swiss modernism rooted in local landscape rather than Parisian models. Active primarily in La Chaux-de-Fonds, he remained there until his death on June 7, 1946. His influence on early modernist design in Switzerland is widely acknowledged.

## Common works and media

L'Éplattenier worked in oil on canvas, watercolor, bronze sculpture, plaster and stone architectural ornament, and decorative ironwork. His subjects frequently feature stylized Alpine landscapes, pine-tree and forest motifs, and natural forms drawn from the Swiss Jura. Collectors may also encounter decorative furniture, stained-glass designs, and applied-art objects in the Style Sapin idiom. Portrait paintings and figural sculptures are also part of his known output.

## Market and appraisal context

Works by Charles L'Éplattenier appear at auction as paintings, sculptures, and decorative objects connected to the Style Sapin movement. Collectors should be aware that L'Éplattenier produced both fine-art works and applied-art pieces, including architectural ornaments, furniture designs, and decorative panels, and that medium, condition, and provenance all affect valuation. His role as Le Corbusier's teacher adds art-historical significance that can influence collector interest. Attribution should be supported by documentation, as the line between original works, workshop pieces, and later Style Sapin reproductions can be difficult to draw. Comparable public auction records remain the most reliable basis for estimating market value.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine verified artist identity research with public auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Charles L'Éplattenier, identity data is grounded in authority files from the Getty Union List of Artist Names, VIAF, the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, and Wikidata.

## Sources

- RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/49509
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q117937
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/42900329/
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500011764
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_L'%C3%89plattenier
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/40554
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/nb2008008258