The motif of playing cards between the sexes as an erotic metaphor, rooted in the northern european tradition, was clothed here in a new costume of post-caravaggio's quasi-naturalism. The drastic nature of this particular version of the topic - a scene of card fraud in a brothel - was even emphasized by the large scale of the image, its strong chiaroscuro and color contrasts, as well as the pursuit of the greatest possible spatial illusion. At the same time, the precision of visual narrative means in describing gestures, facial expressions, exchange of glances, and the arrangement of cards on the table allows the viewer to experience the pleasure of being drawn into the action from the position of a close observer, taking a seat at one of the sides of the table. This forces us to forget, at least for a moment, that this work is nominally intended to warn against the temptations of "happy company. " made around 1626, shortly after returning from italy to his native gouda, it is one of the very rare paintings by an artist from the famous dynasty of stained glass artists. [maciej monkiewicz][1]. Object Type: painting. Genre: genre art. Date: second quarter of 17th century. Dimensions: height: 134.7 cm (53 in); width: 169 cm (66.5 in). Medium: oil on canvas. Collection: National Museum in Warsaw. Crabeth Card players
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