Cardplayers in a Tavern

This 1660 painting of cardplayers in a tavern depicts the gambling that was both a popular pastime and a frequent target of moral criticism in Dutch Golden Age society. Steen's cardplayer scenes combine genre observation with implied warnings about the dangers of gaming. Steen's boisterous scenes employ a rich warm palette and broad comic invention placing him in the tradition of Bruegel and Adriaen van Ostade, while his figure painting shows the influence of his teacher Jan van Goyen. The mo...

The tavern interior demonstrates Steen's accomplished rendering of concentrated human interaction, with the cardplayers' expressions and gestures revealing the tensions and pleasures of the game.