# Soap Bubbles

**Jean Siméon Chardin** (French, 1699–1779)  
ca. 1733–34  
Oil on canvas  
24 x 24 7/8 in. (61 x 63.2 cm)

Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 49.24. [The museum's record](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435888).

## About this work

A young man leans out over a window ledge, carefully blowing a large, glistening bubble through a straw, while a small child peers over the sill to watch; a glass of soapy water stands beside him. The soap bubble was a traditional symbol of the brevity of life, but Chardin treats it with gentle attention rather than a heavy moral, lingering on the concentration in the young man’s face. He painted the composition several times, and other versions are in Washington and Los Angeles.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

Jean Siméon Chardin painted this in about 1733–34, aged about 34. It is now at The Met in New York.

### How it was made

- **Oil paint.** Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.

### [Jean Siméon Chardin](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/jean-simeon-chardin)

French, 1699–1779; born in Paris; died in Paris

Chardin spent his life in Paris and was received into the Academy in 1728 as a painter of animals and fruit. He found his subjects in modest kitchens and households, painting still lifes and quiet genre scenes such as Soap Bubbles and The House of Cards with grainy, carefully worked paint and an air of calm concentration. In later life, as his eyesight weakened, he turned to pastel, producing searching self-portraits.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

## Facts

- Type: Paintings
- The artist was about 34
- Real size: about 24 × 25 in (61 × 63 cm). The 18 × 24 in print is close to life size.
- Century: 18th century
- Subjects: Boys, Men, Bubbles
- Colour: brown
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/1074.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/1074/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68; 20 × 30 in $86; 24 × 36 in $108; 30 × 40 in $148
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164; 20 × 30 in $208; 24 × 36 in $258; 30 × 40 in $338
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118; 20 × 30 in $148; 24 × 36 in $178
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3; 20 × 30 in $5; 24 × 36 in $5; 30 × 40 in $5

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/soap-bubbles-met-435888).