Portrait of Molière, 1900

Chaplain was a master of engraving portrait medals. He portrayed numerous well-known and less well-known French personalities and artists. Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (Paris, 1622-1673) made his debut in a theatre company at the age of 20. Two years later, he adopted the pseudonym Molière and under this name became one of the most famous French word artists. Molière was depicted by numerous artists, both on canvas and in stone. Chaplain also succeeded in depicting the figure of Molière in a particularly expressive manner.