Artwork
Soldiers Playing Dice
Soldiers Playing Dice is a print by the Romanticist artist Célestin Nanteuil. It is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 2008.189
- Credit line
- Gift of John Bonebrake
About this work
Overview
Célestin François Nanteuil's print 'Soldiers Playing Dice' is a work from the late 19th or early 20th century, created by a French artist associated with the Romantic movement.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts two men in a dimly lit, cluttered space, one reading and the other engaged with dice, suggesting a scene of leisure or chance. The title implies a military context, but the figures' activities are more indicative of everyday life.
Technique & Style
Nanteuil employed chiaroscuro, a technique using strong contrasts between light and dark, to create a sense of depth and guide the viewer's eye through the composition.
History & Provenance
Célestin François Nanteuil was born in 1813 and trained at the École des Beaux-Arts and in Dominique Ingres's studio. He held significant positions, including Director of the Académie des beaux-arts and curator of the Musée des beaux-arts in Dijon, before his death in 1873, indicating the print may be a later work by another artist or misdated.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Célestin-François Nanteuil-Lebœuf, known as Célestin Nanteuil (French pronunciation: ; 11 July 1813 – 6 September 1873), was a French painter, engraver and illustrator closely tied to the Romantic movement in France.
