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Moses Myers House

The home of the first permanent Jewish residents of Norfolk, this historic house offers a glimpse of the life of a wealthy early 19th-century merchant family.
More about the house

Jean Outland Chrysler Library

With an extensive collection of more than 106,000 rare and unique volumes relating to the history of art, the Jean Outland Chrysler Library is one of the most significant art libraries in the South. More about the Library

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Historic Houses

Located on Freemason St. —

Open Saturday and Sunday

Noon–5 p.m.

Jean Outland Chrysler Library

By Appointment

Tuesday-Thursday

10:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

Moses Myers House

The oldest Jewish home in America open to the public as a museum offers a glimpse of the life of an early 19th century merchant family.
More about the house

About the Library

With an extensive collection of more than 106,000 rare and unique volumes relating to the history of art, the Jean Outland Chrysler Art Library is one of the most significant art libraries in the South. More about the library

Willoughby-Baylor House

Completed in 1794, this former home now presents a mix of art and artifacts. See what's on view

Located in Norfolk

One Memorial Place,
Norfolk, VA
Get Directions

While You're Here

Visit our Museum Shop
and the Wisteria Cafe.

Perry Glass Studio

A state-of-art facility on the Museum’s campus. See a free glassmaking demo Tuesdays–Sunday at noon. Like what you see? Take a class with us! More about the Studio

Moses Myers House

The home of the first permanent Jewish residents of Norfolk, this historic house offers a glimpse of the life of a wealthy early 19th-century merchant family.
More about the house

Jean Outland Chrysler Library

With an extensive collection of more than 106,000 rare and unique volumes relating to the history of art, the Jean Outland Chrysler Library is one of the most significant art libraries in the South. More about the Library

Weddings & Event Rentals

The perfect place for your big day or special event. Get the details

Take a tour

We offer a number of tours on different topics. More about tours

Jean Outland Chrysler Library

Visit one of the most significant art libraries in the South. More about the library

About the Chrysler

Our story spans well over 100 years. See where we began, how we grew, and where we're going. Explore our history

News and Announcements

See what's happening at the Museum, read Chrysler Magazine, and find our Media Center. Read now

Location

745 Duke Street
Norfolk, VA 23510
757-333-6299

Always Free Parking

Get Directions

Third Thursdays

Live art performances monthly.
See the archive

Studio Team

Meet the brilliant minds behind the Studio.
See the team

Studio Assistantship Program

Further your career and join us in Norfolk.
Find out more

The Masterpiece Society

Learn about this innovative group of museum supporters.
Meet the Masterpiece Society

Planned Giving

Help ensure the long-term success of the Museum.
Learn about planned giving

Collections Menu
Basket of Plums

Basket of Plums

Artist: Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin (French, 1699 - 1779)
Date: 1765
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
Overall: 12 3/4 x 16 1/2 in. (32.4 x 41.9 cm)
Overall, Frame: 17 1/2 in. x 20 5/8 (44.5 x 52.4 cm)
Classification: European art
Credit Line: Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
Object number: 71.506
Terms
  • Fruit
  • Still life
  • Plums
  • Cherries
  • Walnuts
  • Blue
  • White
  • Purple
  • Red
  • Stone
On view
DescriptionAn oil on canvas painting of a wicker basketful of plums on a stone bench, with a string as a handle. It is surrounded by a few cherries, white currants, and two walnuts. The twelve plums are arranged in pyramid fashion. They are painted in rich violet and burgundy colors and are highlighted by light. There are two walnuts sharing a bit of the spotlight, while the currents and cherries are on the shadowed side of the basket of plums.

Exhibition History"Exposition de l'art au XVIIIe siècle," Charlottenberg Palace, Copenhagen, Aug. 25 - Oct. 6, 1935. (Exhib. cat. no. 33).
"Chefs-d'oeuvre de l'art français," Palais National des Arts, Paris, 1937. (Exhib. cat. no. 144).
"Origins of Modern Art," Arts Club of Chicago, April 1940. (Exhib. cat. no. 20).
"Collection of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.," Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, and Philadelphia Museum of Art, Jan. 16 - May 11, 1941. (Exhib. cat. no. 34).
"Paintings from the Collection of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.," Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon; Seattle Art Museum; California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Minneapolis Art Institute; St. Louis City Art Museum; William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art, Kansas City; Detroit Institute of Arts; and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, March 2, 1956 - April 14, 1957. (Exhib. cat. no. 64).
"Chrysler Art Museum of Provincetown Inaugural Exhibition," Provincetown, Massachusetts, 1958. (Exhib. cat. no. 11).
"French Masters of the Eighteenth Century," Finch College Museum of Art, New York, Feb. 27 - April 7, 1963. (Exhib. cat. no. 17).
"Still Life Painters: Pieter Aertsen 1508-1575 to George Braque 1882-1963," Finch College Museum of Art, New York, opened Feb. 2, 1965. (Exhib. cat. no. 25).
"Treasures from the Chrysler Museum at Norfolk and Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.," Tennessee Fine Arts Center at Cheekwood, Nashville, June 12 - Sept. 5, 1977. (Exhib. cat. no. 21).
"French Paintings from the Chrysler Museum," North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC, May 31 - Sept. 14, 1986; Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, AL, Nov. 6, 1986 - Jan. 18, 1987. (Exhib. cat. no. 13).
"Inspiring Impressionism," High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia, October 16, 2007 - January 13, 2008; Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado, February 23 - May 25, 2008; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, June 19 - September 21, 2008

Label textJean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin
French, 1699-1779
Basket of Plums, 1765
Oil on canvas

The subject couldn’t be much humbler: a wicker basket heaped with plums and placed on a stone ledge amid a scattering of walnuts, cherries, and currants. In an era when French painting was known for its grandeur and decorative embellishments, Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin’s still lifes and genre scenes were renowned for their simplicity and directness. Though considered too modest to be ranked alongside the extravagant works of François Boucher (on the opposite side of this room), Chardin’s paintings charmed many of his contemporaries. The great Paris intellectual Denis Diderot praised Chardin for his truthfulness and unassuming poetry—the very qualities that captivate us today.

Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.506

Published References Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. _Collection of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr._. Richmond: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. 1941: pp. 35-36; no. 34. *Dimensions are not correct in this citation. Bertina S. Manning. _Paintings from the Collection of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.: An Exhibition Organized by the Portland Art Museum, Oregon_. Portland: Portland Art Association. 1956. No. 64. Bertina S. Manning. _Chrysler Art Museum of Provincetown Inaugural Exhibition_. Provincetown, Massachusetts: Chrysler Art Museum of Provincetown. 07/1958: 9, 51; ill. b/w no. 11, 51. Eric M. Zafran and Mario Amaya. _Treasures from the Chrysler Museum at Norfolk and Walter P. Chrysler, Jr._. Tennessee Fine Arts Center at Cheekwood, Nashville. 1977. No. 21. Chrysler Museum. _Selections from the Permanent Collection: The Chrysler Musuem_. Norfolk, VA: Chrysler Museum of Art. 1982: 50. Pierre Rosenberg. _Chardin 1699-1779_. Published by The Cleveland Museum of Art in cooperation with Indiana University Press. 1982: 333-334, no. 121. Else Marie Bukdahl. _Diderot, Critique d'Art_. Copenhague: Rosenkilde et Bagger. 1982: 231. Jefferson C. Harrison. _French Paintings from the Chrysler Museum_. The Chrysler Museum. 1986. No. 13, pp. 25-26. *See for further references. Jefferson C. Harrison, _The Chrysler Museum Handbook of the European and American Collections: Selected Paintings, Sculpture and Drawings_. Norfolk, VA: The Chrysler Museum, 1991, No. 56, 75, color illustration 75. Else Marie Bukdahl, and others. _Diderot, The Salons 1759-1781: The Birth of Modern Art Criticism_. Copenhagen: Kunstnere om Kunst, Edition Blondal, 1997, color plate no. 9. Bodo Vischer,"Boebachtungen zu Chardins Einflub auf die Stillebenmalerei im 19. Jahrhundert an Beispielen von Manet, Courbet und Cézanne," _Cézanne Picasso Braque der Beginn des Kubistischen Stillebens_. Basel: Öffentliche Kunstsammlung, 1998, 117-135, ill. 119. Christie's. _Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Art: Property from the Estate of Guy Bjorkman_. New York: Christie's. 05/08/2000: 17, fig. 2. Kosme de Barañano, Peter Weiermair, Luciano Caramel, Marga Paz, and Claudia Gian Ferrari with contributing authors. _Filippo de Pisis_. Valencia: Institut Valencià d'Art Modern. 2000: 20 David Stark, with contributions Laura L. Meixner and Linda Tarbox. _European Painting in the Tweed Museum of Art_. Duluth, Minnesota: Tweed Museum of Art, University of Minnesota. 2000: 66. Jeff Harrison, _Collecting with Vision: Treasures From the Chrysler Museum of Art_ (London: D. Giles Ltd., 2007), 36, fig. 30. ISBN: 978-0-940744-72-1 _Inspiring Impressionism, A Book of Postcards_ (Petaluma, CA,: Pomegranate Communications, Inc. 2007) Xavier Bray, et. al., _Inspiring Impressionism: The Impressionists and the Art of the Past_, exh. cat., Denver Art Museum, Colorado, 2007. 45, illus.22 ISBN: 978-0-914738-57-2 Susan Jaques, _A Love for the Beautiful: Discovering America's Hidden Art Museums_, (Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot Press, 2012), 125. Herbert Morris, _Disclosures: Essays on Art, Literature, and Philosophy_, (self-published, San Bernardino, CA, 2017), 328. Harriet Stone, _Crowning Glories: Netherlandish Realism and the French Imagination during the Reign of Louis XIV_, (University of Toronto Press: Buffalo, 2019), fig 7.3, p. 231. Alexis Merle du Bourg, _Chardin_ (Paris: Citadelles and Mazenod, 2020) 22-23, fig. 12; 324, fig. 294.
Provenance Emil Leroux, Paris; Georges Hoardt, New York, 1939; Newhouse Galleries, New York, 1939; Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.; Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. to the Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, 1971.
Catalogue EntryJean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin
French, 1699-1779
Basket of Plums, c. 1765
Oil on canvas, 12¾" x 16½" (32.4 x 41.9 cm)
Signed lower left: _chardin_
Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.506

References: _Chardin 1699-1779_, exhib. cat., Grand Palais, Paris et al., 1979, pp.333-334; Harrison, _CM_, 1986, no. 13.

In the art academies of eighteenth-century Europe, painters of historical and religious themes (see nos. 47, 52) were valued far more highly than those who devoted themselves to the "minor subjects" of genre, landscape, and still life. Yet, the most inspired interpreters of the minor subjects could achieve considerable fame in their lifetimes and genuine immortality in the annals of art history. One such genius was Chardin, who was among the most revered painters of still life and genre in mid-eighteenth-century Paris. Championed particularly by the influential philosopher and art critic Denis Diderot (d. 1784), Chardin enjoyed both official and popular success. He was an honored member of the Académie Royale and a regular exhibitor at the Paris Salon, and his paintings were avidly collected by a newly affluent French middle class.
In his later still lifes, Chardin abandoned his earlier interest in the meticulous delineation of texture and detail and concentrated on more profound visual elements. Color and volume, half-light and highlight, the broad compositional interplay of solid and void - these became the underlying concerns of his mature still lifes such as the _Basket of Plums_. When the painting - or its replica, which is located today in a private French collection - was shown by Chardin at the 1765 Salon, Diderot described it briefly in his commentaries on the exhibition:
...placed on a stone bench, a wicker basket full of plus, for which a paltry string serves as a handle, and scattered around it some walnuts, two or three cherries and a few small bunches of grapes [in truth, white currants].
Though the arrangement is typically spare, the effect on the eye is magical. The luscious mound of purple and rosy red plums smolders in the shadowy light. The currants gleam like pearls. What emerges from this humble assembly of fruits and nuts, and from the velvety brushwork that informs it, is a vision of the poetic essence of objects that dazzled Chardin's contemporaries and captivates us perhaps even more today.

Jefferson C. Harrison, _The Chrysler Museum Handbook of the European and American Collections: Selected Paintings, Sculpture and Drawings_. Norfolk, VA: The Chrysler Museum, 1991, No. 56, 75, color illustration 75.