Artwork
The Skittles Game
The Skittles Game is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist David Teniers the Younger. It dates from 1645 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The inclusion of the obelisk alongside the rustic architecture and figures creates a structured environment for the depicted social interaction.
David Teniers the Younger's 1645 oil painting depicts a lively rural scene centered on a game of skittles. The composition features men engaged in the sport within a village setting that includes an inn and a prominent obelisk. By focusing on this specific recreational activity, the work illustrates a genre scene of peasant life and leisure.
The inclusion of the obelisk alongside the rustic architecture and figures creates a structured environment for the depicted social interaction.
Technique & Style
The Skittles Game is an oil painting executed on panel, a support favored by Flemish cabinet painters of the seventeenth century for its smooth surface and capacity for fine detail. The work measures 42 cm in height by 71 cm in width, a horizontal landscape format suited to its genre scene of village life. Stylistically, it belongs to the tradition of low-life peasant and tavern imagery associated with David Teniers the Younger, depicting figures gathered around an inn engaged in the game of skittles, with an obelisk visible in the surrounding setting.
The cabinet-scale dimensions and panel support are consistent with Teniers's typical production of small, finely finished genre landscapes intended for private collectors. No specific condition report is documented in the available sources.
## Technique & Style
The Skittles Game is executed in oil paint on panel, a support characteristic of Flemish cabinet pictures of the period. It measures 42 cm in height by 71 cm in width, adopting a horizontal landscape format. The composition depicts figures at an inn playing skittles within a village setting that includes an obelisk, aligning with the peasant and tavern genre scenes associated with David Teniers the Younger.
History & Provenance
David Teniers the Younger created The Skittles Game in 1645. Executed in oil on panel, the work depicts a village scene featuring an inn, an obelisk, and figures playing skittles. The painting subsequently entered the Spanish royal collection, where it was owned by King Ferdinand VII. It is currently held in the collection of the Museo del Prado in Madrid.
The Skittles Game is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado in Madrid. The work, an oil painting on panel created in 1645, was historically owned by Ferdinand VII of Spain. While its current location within the Royal Palace of Madrid is noted as part of the museum's holdings, the provided records do not list a specific inventory or accession number for the piece. Furthermore, no details regarding its exhibition history are available in the current sources.
Overview
The Skittles Game, an oil landscape by David Teniers the Younger, was completed in 1645. This painting captures a moment of daily life within a village setting, centered around a group engaged in a game of skittles. It is a notable example of the artist's work, currently held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
Artist & collection
Artist
David Teniers the Younger or David Teniers II was a Flemish Baroque painter, printmaker, and artist.
