Artwork
Kitchen Utensils with Leeks, Fish, and Eggs
Kitchen Utensils with Leeks, Fish, and Eggs is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin. It dates from 1734 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
Classified as a painting, the piece originates from France and is currently held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin executed Kitchen Utensils with Leeks, Fish, and Eggs in 1734 using oil paint on a canvas support. The work measures 32.2 cm in height and 40.7 cm in width. Classified as a painting, the piece originates from France and is currently held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The medium and support are consistent with Chardin's established practice for still-life works of this period.
History & Provenance
Painted in 1734, the work entered modern records under the title used today. It formed part of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s holdings by 1980, when it was acquired as accession number 1980.37. The painting is documented as made in France by Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, aligning with the dated inscription on the work.
Overview
Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin’s oil painting from 1734 presents a modest kitchen scene composed of everyday objects, a copper pot, a wooden mortar and pestle, a bowl, leeks, eggs and a fish, arranged on a dark tabletop. The muted palette of browns, whites and subdued greens emphasizes the materiality of each item, while the plain, shadowed background isolates the composition.
Subject & Meaning
The work focuses on ordinary culinary tools and foodstuffs, inviting contemplation of domestic routine and the quiet dignity of kitchen labor. By placing the fish near the table’s edge, Chardin hints at the transitory nature of nourishment, while the careful balance of elements suggests a harmonious order within the household.
Context
In an era dominated by ornate decorative painting, Chardin’s focus on simple kitchenware offered a counterpoint to the lavishness of contemporary court art. His compositions aligned with Enlightenment interests in observation and the study of everyday life, positioning the mundane as worthy of artistic inquiry.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jean Siméon Chardin (French:; November 2, 1699 – December 6, 1779) was an 18th-century French painter.
