Jean-Baptiste Cardin

Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Cardin (1699-1779) La Pourvoyeuse (1739) Musée du Louvre, Paris

Chardin was one of the greatest of the 18th century, whose genre and still-life subjects documented the life of the Paris bourgeoisie. He favoured simple still-lifes and unsentimental domestic interiors. His muted tones and ability to evoke textures are seen in the Provider, of which he made several versions. Ref. Web Gallery of Art

The term 'pourvoyeuse' (provider) was applied both to the daily provider of a middle-class household, and to a woman who sold her "charms" on the street.