One of Chardin’s most popular subjects was children at play. While the individuals portrayed in such works are very much children, not miniature adults, his paintings are not filled with noise and exuberance. Instead, they tend to capture moments of quiet play—moments when the child’s mind and imagination is fully engaged, but his or her body is still. As you examine these two paintings of children playing, ask yourself what they tell us about the world of the eighteenth-century child. How do the paintings capture childhood at the same time that they hint at the adult world that lies in the children’s future?

The House of Cards, ca. 1737

Portrait of Augustus Gabriel Godefroy, 1741

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER