Artwork
A Game of Cards at an Inn
A Game of Cards at an Inn is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Richard Brakenburgh. It dates from 1692 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1692 by Haarlem‑born painter Richard Brakenburgh, A Game of Cards at an Inn is an oil on canvas that exemplifies the Dutch Golden Age’s focus on everyday scenes. The work is part of the Statens Museum for Kunst’s collection and depicts a convivial interior where a group of figures are absorbed in a card game.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a modest inn setting where men and women gather around a low table, their attention fixed on the cards. Expressions range from concentration to quiet excitement, suggesting both the social interaction and the subtle competition inherent in such leisure activities of 17th‑century Dutch life.
Technique & Style
Brakenburgh employs a restrained chiaroscuro, allowing a single light source to illuminate faces and hands while casting deeper shadows in the surrounding space. This handling of light creates a sense of volume and draws the viewer’s eye to the central action, while the detailed rendering of clothing and interior objects reflects the period’s realist tradition.
History & Provenance
Born in 1650, Brakenburgh spent his career in Haarlem, producing genre scenes that catered to a market for depictions of domestic life. After changing hands among private collectors, the painting entered the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains on view as a representative example of late‑Golden Age genre painting.
Artist & collection
Artist
Richard Brakenburgh or Brakenburg (22 May 1650, in Haarlem – 28 December 1702, in Haarlem), was a Dutch Golden Age painter.
