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 (Until 1857); (Benoist sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, March 30, 1857, no. 12, probably sold to Monsieur R.) (March 30, 1857); Monsieur R., Paris (Probably 1857-1860); (Monsieur R. collection sale, Rouillard, Paris, April 28, 1860, no. 12, possibly sold to Henri (April 28, 1860); Henri Viollet [1849-1926?], Tours, France (Possibly 1860-by 1881); Alfred [1811-1893] and Paul [1833-1903] Mame, Tours, France (Until 1904); (Mame sale, Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, France, April 26-29, 1904, no. 7, sold to Alexis Vollon) (April 26-29, 1904); Alexis Vollon [1865-1945], Paris, France (1904-1909); David David-Weill [1871-1952], Paris, France (By 1925-1952); (Rosenberg and Stiebel, New York, NY, sold to Sidney J. Lamon) (1952); Sidney J. Lamon [d. 1973], New York, NY (1952-1973); (Sale, Christie’s, London, June 29, 1973, no. 21, sold to Frederick Mont/Newhouse Galleries) 1 (June 29, 1973); (Frederick Mont and Newhouse Galleries, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (1973-1974); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio (1974-)