Restoration of a painting by Chardin at the Ontario Gallery of Art, Toronto

As part of its programme of support for the restoration of art works held in museums, the BNP Paribas Foundation and BNP Paribas Canada have decided to provide support for the restoration of a painting by Jean-Siméon Chardin (1699-1779), one of the masterpieces of the collection housed at Ontario's Gallery of Art in Toronto.

Entitled “Le bocal d'abricots” and painted in 1758, this oval painting forms one of a pair, the other painting, “Le melon entamé”, currently resides in a private collection in Paris. In this sparse and simple composition the objects are placed with great rigour and are represented with dense brush strokes that are vibrant with light, typical of the art of Chardin, one of the greatest French artists of the 18th century.

Weakened by the passage of time and by former restorations, the painting suffers from the presence of yellowed varnish that distorts the transparency and clarity of the colours; it also has repainted areas, cracks and risen areas that will be subjected to rigorous analysis and examinations carried out by specialists from the Canadian Institute of Conservation before any restoration work begins.