The Canary
by CHARDIN, Jean-Baptiste-Siméon, Oil on canvas, 50 x 43 cm
Commissioned for the king by Le Normant de Tournehem, the Director of Buildings, and exhibited in the Salon of 1751, the painting subsequently became part of the collection of the Marquis de Marigny, Madame Pompadour’s brother. One of Chardin’s last genre scenes, it shows the painter influenced by Dutch art, using a detailed language and a delicate balance of light.