The Ray by Chardin (1728): Meaning of the Still Life

Q: Where can I see The Ray?

This painting hangs at the Louvre in Paris, France. It entered the collection during the French Revolution when works from the Académie Royale were transferred to the new national museum.

Q: Why is this painting significant?

The Ray earned Chardin admission to the Académie Royale in 1728. Its realistic depiction of kitchen life influenced later artists including Henri Matisse, who made copies as a student.

Q: What makes this still life unusual?

The gutted skate's underside resembles a human face, appearing to plead for mercy. This anthropomorphic quality gives the otherwise mundane kitchen scene an unexpected emotional resonance.

Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin painted The Ray in 1728, exhibiting it at the Exposition de la Jeunesse on the Place Dauphine. The still life shows a gutted skate hanging from a hook, its bloody underside contrasting with a cat, kitchen utensils, and a black pitcher.

The anthropomorphic ray appears almost to plead for mercy, its form resembling a sad face. Upon presenting this work and The Buffet, Chardin was admitted to the prestigious Académie Royale. Measuring 146 by 114 centimeters, the painting influenced Marcel Proust and Henri Matisse. Now at the Louvre in Paris.

This painting hangs at the Louvre in Paris, France. It entered the collection during the French Revolution when works from the Académie Royale were transferred to the new national museum.

The Ray earned Chardin admission to the Académie Royale in 1728. Its realistic depiction of kitchen life influenced later artists including Henri Matisse, who made copies as a student.

The gutted skate's underside resembles a human face, appearing to plead for mercy. This anthropomorphic quality gives the otherwise mundane kitchen scene an unexpected emotional resonance.

The Ray or, The Kitchen Interior

Where to See It

The Artist

More by Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin

The Attributes of Painting and Sculpture

The Silver Goblet

The Buffet

Still Life with Cat and Rayfish

Also at Louvre, Paris

Artemis of Versailles

The Concert: Singer and Theorbo Player

The Combat of Mars and Minerva

Madonna and Sleeping Child with Three Angels

Related Rococo Works

The Blue Boy

The Swing

Mrs. Richard Brinsley Sheridan

A Young Girl Reading

Reclining Girl

Diana Leaving the Bath

Portrait of Omai

Pilgrimage to Cythera

About The Ray or, The Kitchen Interior

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