The Gamblers, David Teniers (II), c. 1640

The Gamblers, David Teniers (II), c. 1640

oil on panel, h 45.2cm × w 59.1cm Catalogue entry

Two middle-class men (plainly, yet neatly dressed) and an officer (identifiable by his elegant clothing and dagger) are absorbed in their game. Two peasants look on. The man standing at the left is just about to throw the dice. Games of chance, certainly when they involved money, were denounced from the pulpit. Yet here Teniers is not passing judgment: he is simply recording the scene.

Catalogue entry