Jean Siméon Chardin (1699-1779) (after) - Lot 34

Jean Siméon Chardin (1699-1779) (after) The Bones. 1739. Engraved by Filloeul. 200x255mm. Bocher 39 bis. Fine proof on nineteenth-century ivory laid paper, trimmed on the plate stroke and above the verses, but complete with engraved title. The original painting is currently in the Baltimore Museum of Art. "The young girl has just thrown the ball, which she follows with her gaze, and is about to bring back with her other hand four jacks placed on a kitchen log. The theme is unique in Chardin's work. It's true that the painter has dealt extensively with childhood games, which he has made something of a specialty. But this work is exceptional in that Chardin attempts to represent a gesture. Here, the painter of frozen attitudes ventures into a field that was new to him: movement." (Pierre Rosenberg, Chardin 1699-1779, exhibition cat., Paris, Grand Palais, RMN, 1979, p.208). The verses here missing under the engraving have a saucy undertone, urging the model to take part in other games alongside a young lover.