Title: Still Life, Peaches,

Artist: Siméon Chardin

Still Life with Peaches, a Silver Goblet, Grapes, and Walnuts Artist: Jean-Siméon Chardin (French, 1699–1779) Date: About 1759–60 Medium: Oil on canvas Text: Most eighteenth-century still-life specialists sought to elevate their work—traditionally considered less significant than portraiture and religious or historical subjects—with opulent displays of luxury goods or allegories evoking the passage of time. Chardin painted everyday objects (fruit, fish, bread, cheese, nuts, cookware, cutlery) with a spellbound naturalism that imparts to them an almost magical presence. This picture was exhibited at the Salon of 1763 alongside half a dozen other paintings by the artist, whose work was much admired by eighteenth-century amateurs, collectors, and fellow artists, including sculptor Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne II (1704–1778), who owned the picture.