Theodoor Rombouts (1597-1637), Card and Backgammon Players. Fight over Cards, c. 1620-30
Theodoor Rombouts, Card and Backgammon Players. Fight over Cards, c. 1620-30.
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In a tavern a card player has drawn a knife and is about to attack his victim, firmly grabbing his short hair.
The victim, a fellow player from the other side of the table, cries out and seeks to ward off the blow with an open hand. The light falls harshly onto this brawl from the left, accentuating the drama of the tense situation.
Inspiration
The card players, the half-figure composition, the realism, and the stark contrast between light and darkness (chiaroscuro) are all elements borrowed from the Italian Baroque artist Caravaggio, whom Rombouts got to know during a prolonged stay in Italy.
The seven deadly sins
By making uncontrolled anger the main subject of the painting the Flemish painter draws on an ancient Dutch tradition for creating moralising depictions of the seven deadly sins. Wrath was one of them.
Close-up or another view
Here you can zoom-in on the work for a close-up view of all of the details. - Or you can gain a new understanding about the work by watching films where researchers, conservators and artists talk about the work from their viewpoint.
Zoom and see the details
Theodoor Rombouts, Card and Backgammon Players. Fight over Cards, 1620-1629. KMSsp92
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More views of the work – see the films
The artist Husk Mit Navn tells about Theodoor Rombouts' painting: Card and Backgammon Players. Fight over Cards.
Producer: Martin Køhler Jørgensen
Contributory: Husk Mit Navn
Our conservator Anne Haack Christensen tells about Theodoor Rombouts' painting: Card and Backgammon Players. Fight over Cards.
Producer: Martin Køhler Jørgensen
Contributory: Anne Haack Christensen
