Das Bretspiel (Ladies and Gentlemen Playing Board Games)
1756
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1756
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Das Bretspiel (Ladies and Gentlemen Playing Board Games) is a 1756 ink by Johann Esaias Nilson, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
A group of men and women sit around a table playing backgammon. Their clothes look stiff and their faces show little expression. Light falls from a window on the left, making shadows behind the players. This is a print, not a painting. It shows everyday life in the 1700s. Backgammon was a popular game then, often played in coffeehouses. The print uses fine lines to show details like hair and fabric folds. Look for another print by Nilson, Johann Esaias.
Johann Esaias Nilson (1721–1788) was an artist, born in Augsburg.
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