Bill left French water scene (7)

I believe the answer is:

tableau

'scene' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'bill left french water' is the wordplay.
'bill' becomes 'tab' (tab is a kind of bill).
'left' becomes 'l' (common abbreviation).
'french water' becomes 'eau' (I've seen this before).
'tab'+'l'+'eau'='TABLEAU'

(Other definitions for tableau that I've seen before include "dramatic picture" , "Group of motionless figures -- dramatic scene" , "Motionless group on stage" , "A dramatic or picturesque scene, may be still" , "Picture of group or scene" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.

Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app