Attributes of the Architect

Architectural instruments — compass, ruler, protractor, and rolled plans — compose this Attributes of the Architect from 1726 at the Princeton Art Museum, one of Chardin's earliest surviving works and among a group of 'attribute' paintings depicting the tools of learned professions. These early works, depicting the instruments of music, science, and architecture rather than living people or domestic interiors, place Chardin within a French tradition of trompe l'oeil still life that celebrated artisanal and intellectual mastery. The Princeton museum's holding of this early Chardin makes it significant for understanding his formation before his mature style had been established. The architectural compass and plans evoke the precision of rational design — the organizing principle of the Enlightenment culture in which Chardin worked.

The metallic surfaces of the drafting instruments challenge Chardin to render reflective, precise surfaces quite different from the organic textures of his game still lifes. His handling of the ruler's straight edge, the compass's pivot, and the protractor's graduated markings demonstrates a precision appropriate to the subject. The rolled plans provide softer, more organic forms that balance the geometric instruments.