The House of Cards

n.d.

Not on view

Derived from the tradition of moralizing prints, the subject of a child building a house of cards became a popular motif during the eighteenth century. This etching is based on a 1735 painting by Chardin, one of the most celebrated treatments of the theme. In the print, Filloeul faithfully reproduces Chardin’s composition, expressing the ephemeral nature of human endeavors through the image of a boy engrossed in the construction of an object doomed for destruction. In the caption, Filloeul reconnects Chardin’s image with the moralizing tradition by suggesting that adults still act like children by building foolish projects.

Artwork Details

Title: The House of Cards
Engraver: Pierre Filloeul (French, Abbeville 1696–after 1754 Paris)
Artist: After Jean Siméon Chardin (French, Paris 1699–1779 Paris)
Publisher: Pierre Filloeul (French, Abbeville 1696–after 1754 Paris)
Date: n.d.
Medium: Engraving
Dimensions: Sheet: 10 11/16 × 11 15/16 in. (27.1 × 30.4 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953
Object Number: 53.600.521
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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By Jean Siméon Chardin

By Pierre Filloeul

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Livre de Differents Caracters de Têtes. Inventez part M. Watteau et Gravez d'Après ses Desseins, par Filloeul. A Paris, chez Filloeul, rue Bordet derriere St. Geneviève a l'Hotel de Vendome.

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