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Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin

1699-1779 France/Baroque

 

Brief Biography-Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin was from Paris, where he spent the entirety of his life. His father was a carpenter making billiard tables for the king. In 1717 Jean was apprenticed to court painter Pierre-Jacques Cazes and later Nicolas Coypel; neither artist inspired Jean; he mainly taught himself. By 1724 he became established as a still-life painter; however, he struggled to make a living. It was when he got a commission from a surgeon to paint a sign outside his shop that he gained recognition. The image was of a wounded man carried to the surgery, which caught the attention of people passing by. He exhibited paintings at an amateur show in the Place Dauphine in 1728 and drew the attention of Nicolas Largillière, who had him present his work to the Academy. The pictures he hung at the Academy impressed Largillière so much that he accepted him as a member.
He married his fiancée after a long engagement but was still struggling until he got work with Jean-Baptiste van Loo restoring the Francis I Gallery at Fontainebleau. His wife died suddenly in 1735, after which he changed his attention to painting interior scenes which gained him popularity. Chardin had work commissioned by French and Swedish royalty. Unfortunately, he still was not making much money due to the slow delivery of his paintings. Nevertheless, his fortunes picked up financially when he married a wealthy widow, Francoise Marguerite Pouget. In 1755, he was elected treasurer of the Academy. Louis XV bought his work and awarded him a pension and lodgings in the Louvre.
He had a troubled relationship with his son, whom he quarrelled with over money his mother had left him, and Jean contested. His son left for Rome, never to return, and speculation was that he committed suicide in Venice, which distressed Jean considerably. Later his health failed, and his work became less popular, followed by reduced income. He used pastels with failing eyesight in the final years of his life. His work did not regain popularity until a century later.

 

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the jar of apricots


the cut melon

the cut melon

the basket of wild
strawberries

the basket of wild strawberries

card
tricks

card tricks


Draughtsman

Young Draughtsman

Vase
of Flowers

Vase of Flowers

First
Wife

First Wife

The
Governess

The Governess

Servant
Returning

Servant Returning from the Market

Saying
Grace

Saying Grace

Pestle
and Mortar

Kitchen Still with Pestle and Mortar

Kitchen
Still Life

Kitchen Still Life with cooking pots and eggs

Grapes and
Pomegranates

Grapes and Pomegranates

Girl with a
Shuttlecock

Girl with Shuttlecock


Cake

Cake


the cellar boy

the cellar boy

Drinking
Fountain

The Copper Drinking Fountain

The Diligent
Mother

The Diligent mother

Child with
a Teetotum

Child with a Teetotum

A Lean Diet with
Cooking Utensils

A Lean Diet with Cooking Utensils

Attributes
of Music

Attributes of Music

Hunting
Dog

Game Still Life with Hunting Dog

House
of Cards

House of Cards

Madame
Chardin

Madame Chardin

Peaches with
Walnuts

Peaches with Walnuts#

Pears and
Walnuts

Pears and Walnuts

Sealing
the Letter

Sealing the Letter

Self
Portrait

Self Portrait with an Eyeshade

Cat
and Fish

Cat and Fish

Cat
and Rayfish

Cat and Rayfish

A
Pheasant

Pheasant and Hunting Bag

Jar
of Olives

Jar of Olives

Pipe
and Jug

Pipe and Jug

Two
Rabbits

Two Rabbits

Attentive
Nurse

The Attentive Nurse

The Attributes
of Art

The Attributes of Art

Painting and-
Sculpture

Attributes of Painting and Sculpture

Attributes
of Arts

 Attributes of the Arts with a Bust of Mercury

The
Buffet

The Buffet

The
Canary

The Canary

The House
of Cards

The House of Cards

The Kitchen
Maid

The Kitchen Maid

The
Laundress

The Laundress

The
Ray

The Ray

The
Silver Cup

The Silver Cup

The Silver
Tureen

The Silver Tureen

The Soap
Bubble

The Soap Bubble

the
Schoolmistress

The Young Schoolmistress

Youth with
a Violin

The Youth with a Violin

Water Glass
and Jug

Water Glass and Jug

Young
Sketcher

Young Sketcher