Jean Chardin, The Skate - Jean Chardin, La Raie - Musée du Louvre

A stoneware pitcher with a dark green varnish, a skimmer, a copper cauldron with a forged iron handle, a red copper casserole, an opaque glass bottle filled with wine, a knife with a horn handle fastened by four rivets, a tablecloth with a pale green stripe, two barbels, freshwater fish, open oysters, a varnished earthenware plate, some small leeks, a wooden spice box, a wooden mortar with a pestle for crushing coarse salt, an alley cat with a speckled face, a skate has been hung on a hook, the front of its stomach is open, the viscera have been removed, it's a female, the pocket containing an egg has been saved, its coiled up tail is under the casserole. Chardin's artistic training is not known. He began his career rather suddenly in 1728. He was 28 years old and it was written of him. Encouraged by the praises of other artists, he decided to present himself at the Royal Academy, but hoping to sound out the opinions of the principal officers of this body, he took the liberty of a slight artifice. As if by chance, he placed his paintings in the first room and stood in the second. Monsieur de Largillière, an excellent painter, one of the best colorists and among the most knowledgeable theorists on the effects of light, arrived. Struck by these paintings, he stopped to examine them before going into the second room where the candidate was waiting. On entering, he said, You have there some very fine paintings. They are certainly by some good Flemish painter. The Flanders school is excellent for color. Now let's see your works. Monsieur, you've just seen them. You mean those paintings? Yes, monsieur. Oh, introduce yourself, my friend, introduce yourself. And thus, Monsieur Chardin was approved with a general round of applause. Among these first paintings were The Buffet and The Skate. As was the custom, Chardin immediately offered them to the Royal Academy. Remaining in the Academy's collection, these paintings were among the first to appear in the Louvre after its foundation in 1793.