Still Life with Cat and Fish
Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin 
(French, 1699 – 1779)

“On a brown stone ledge in lower foreground are placed an overturned shallow pottery bowl with a large piece of cut fish lying on top; at left, a calico cat placing its front left paw on the fish; at right, two scallions, three mussels, and a piece of fruit; suspended above the ledge, right of center, hang two hake; all are set against a brown wall.”  🐈

"The French painter Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin is considered one of the finest exponents of still life painting in the history of art. Largely self-taught and influenced in particular by a down-to-earth realism, he produced highly polished small-scale works of still life as well as numerous examples of genre painting evoking a sober, simplistic harmony. Although both his background and his subjects were humble, he became one of the most important and influential contributors to French painting of the 18th century, raising still lifes and domestic scenes to a new level of importance."