Determination of Cultural Significance: Jean Siméon Chardin's 'The Water Cistern' Approved for U.S. Exhibition

The U.S. Department of State has formally determined that Jean Siméon Chardin's painting 'The Water Cistern,' owned or held by a foreign custodian, qualifies as a culturally significant object under applicable federal law. This determination enables the temporary importation of the artwork into the United States without risk of judicial seizure or legal claim during its loan period. The painting will be displayed in the European Paintings galleries of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, with potential additional venues yet to be announced. The loan arrangement is governed by an agreement between the U.S. government and the foreign owner or custodian of the work. A further determination was made that the temporary exhibition of this object within the United States serves the national interest, a legal threshold required under the Immunity from Seizure Act (22 U.S.C. § 2459). This affords the artwork full legal immunity from any civil or criminal seizure while on U.S. soil. Public notice of these determinations has been officially published in the Federal Register, completing the statutory notification requirement and formalizing the immunity protections for the duration of the exhibition.

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