Jean Siméon Chardin (1699-1779) was a student at the Academy of Saint Luke in Paris, and later he was admitted to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in the category of painters of “animals and fruits,” a less prestigious category than history painting or portraiture. He is recognized today for his still lifes, such as The Ray (1728) and for his genre scenes, such as Soap Bubbles (1734) and Saying Grace (1740).
