Still Life with Herrings

oil on canvasJean-Siméon Chardin (French, 1699–1779)/c. 1735

Description

Chardin reflected intensely on the act of observation. Still life became a forum for sophisticated performances in paint, and his complex technique—he famously worked in private—uses a staggering combination of delicate glazes and roughly dragged thick paint to capture the varied surfaces, atmospheres, and spaces in this humble pantry shelf. Acutely aware of recent developments in optics and physics, Chardin explored ideas about light, shadow, and color, and fully expected his work to be inspected closely.

Provenance

Dr. Benoist; (Benoist sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, March 30, 1857, no. 12, probably sold to Monsieur R.); Monsieur R., Paris; (Monsieur R. collection sale, Rouillard, Paris, April 28, 1860, no. 12, possibly sold to Henri; Henri Viollet [1849-1926?], Tours, France; Alfred [1811-1893] and Paul [1833-1903] Mame, Tours, France; (Mame sale, Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, France, April 26-29, 1904, no. 7, sold to Alexis Vollon); Alexis Vollon [1865-1945], Paris, France; David David-Weill [1871-1952], Paris, France; (Rosenberg and Stiebel, New York, NY, sold to Sidney J. Lamon); Sidney J. Lamon [d. 1973], New York, NY; (Sale, Christie’s, London, June 29, 1973, no. 21, sold to Frederick Mont/Newhouse Galleries) 1; (Frederick Mont and Newhouse Galleries, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio

Dimensions

41 × 33.6 cm

Source

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Movement / Period

European Painting and Sculpture

Accession No

1974.1

Official Citations

[The Cleveland Museum of Art Official Record][Full Resolution Image]

Curatorial Affinity Stream

Continuing the Universe of Jean-Siméon Chardin (French, 1699–1779)

European Painting and Sculpture • France, 18th century • Harmonious Works & Contemporaries

Continuous Discovery