The Precision of a Vignettist To understand Charles Monnet is to look past the grand canvases and focus on the intimate scale of the bookplate and the porcelain vase. He was not a painter of abstract concepts, but a craftsman of specific, legible narratives. Born in Paris, he trained under Jean II Restout, a foundation that provided him with the technical rigor necessary for his most lasting contributions. While many of his contempora…