Still life depicting the bas-relief Autumn by Bouchardon

A relief sculpture representing Autumn after Edmé Bouchardon provides the central subject for this late still life from 1770 at the Pushkin Museum in Moscow. Chardin's late career saw him increasingly drawn to more complex compositions that included works of art among their subjects. The bas-relief subject connects Chardin to the sculptural tradition of his contemporary Bouchardon and reflects the eighteenth-century dialogue between painting and sculpture.

Chardin renders the relief sculpture with careful attention to the subtle gradations of stone and the play of light across the carved surface. The surrounding still-life objects—fruits of autumn—echo the relief's seasonal theme. His late technique, while still masterful, shows a broader handling than his earlier, more tightly rendered works.