House of Cards (c. 1737): Art, History and Details

House of Cards (c. 1737) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Pierre Filloeuil (French, 1696–after 1734); Jean-Siméon Chardin (French, 1699–1779).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Chardin's (1699-1779) quiet picture of a boy studiously balancing cards is one of several paintings in which he depicted children or adolescents absorbed in thoughtful play or study. The rhyme at the bottom of the print comments on the resemblance between childhood and adult realms: You are wrong to make fun of this adolescent And of his useless amusement Ready at first breeze to capsize We are bored even at the age we should be wise Out of our brains there often blow The most ridiculous châteaus.

Object facts

• Title: House of Cards
• Date: c. 1737
• Creator attribution: Pierre Filloeuil (French, 1696–after 1734); Jean-Siméon Chardin (French, 1699–1779)
• Culture: France
• Type: Print
• Technique: engraving
• Dimensions: Sheet: 42.1 x 57.1 cm (16 9/16 x 22 1/2 in.); Platemark: 27.5 x 31.1 cm (10 13/16 x 12 1/4 in.)
• Collection: PR - Engraving
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1995.265

Collection credit

John L. Severance Fund

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.