Chardin specialised in the painting of still-life and simple domestic scenes which were remarkable for their clear, balanced compositions and technical virtuosity. His works were greatly admired by contemporaries and although they belonged to the lowly category of genre there was a ready market for them. Chardin was admitted to the French Academy in 1728 and from the mid 1750s was responsible for the organising and hanging of the Academy exhibitions at the Paris Salon. His work fell out of favour after his death, but interest was revived in the nineteenth century and his paintings influenced the realism of Millet and Courbet.
A painting, drawing or photograph depicting inanimate, everyday objects. Although the genre has been in existence since ancient times, it was popularised in Holland after the Renaissance in the sixteenth century and has continued to be explored in contemporary times.