7 - David Teniers the Younger (1610 Antwerp – Brussels 1690), Soldiers Playing Cards.

David Teniers the Younger (1610 Antwerp – Brussels 1690), Soldiers Playing Cards. Oil on copper, mounted on wood, inlaid. Approx. 56.5 x 71 cm. Signed lower right. We would like to thank Dr. Margret Klinge, who confirmed the attribution of this painting to David Teniers the Younger after examining the original work. She dates the painting to the period of Teniers’ stay in Brussels in the 1670s. A written expert opinion dated October 2026 is available. A table, a few cards, and a small group of soldiers are all David Teniers the Younger needs to transform an everyday pastime into a narrative that is as lively as it is finely observed. Gathered closely around the table, the men are engrossed in their game. Their gazes wander between the cards and their fellow players; hands intervene in the action; bodies lean forward or lean back expectantly. Teniers depicts that fleeting moment of intense attention in which the characters’ personalities reveal themselves almost casually. Soldiers who, away from their military duties, pass the time drinking, smoking, rolling dice, or playing cards are among the recurring motifs in the artist’s oeuvre. As early as the 1630s and 1640s, Teniers was exploring the theme of gambling in taverns and guardrooms. In this, he initially followed in the tradition of Adriaen Brouwer, whose rough-hewn peasant and tavern scenes were of great importance to his early development. Gradually, however, Teniers moved away from Brouwer’s often caricatured exaggerations. His figures became more individualized, the spaces brighter, and the narratives more subtle; from the peasant milieu, an increasingly refined genre painting emerged. Like “The Temptation of Saint Anthony” (Lot 6), this painting also belongs to Teniers’ late oeuvre of the 1670s. In this mature phase, the peasants and revelers of his earlier paintings are increasingly joined by more elegantly dressed figures and a more refined depiction of their world. This work particularly beautifully illustrates how precisely Teniers perceived his own time: The soldiers do not appear in a timelessly conceived military uniform, but as men of their era. Notable, for example, is the blue bow under the chin of one of the figures—a small, colorfully striking accent that underscores the man’s fashionable appearance. The decorative details on his trousers are rendered with equal care. Such seemingly minor details characterize the figures, enliven the color palette, and firmly anchor the scene in the world of the late 17th century. Yet Teniers tells the story with remarkable economy. He needs neither grand gestures nor a spectacular event. The actual drama arises from the figures’ relationships with one another: each seems to react to the game in his own way—focused, wait-and-see, self-assured, or curious. The cards become the focal point of a small social choreography, which Teniers depicts with subtle humor without exposing his protagonists to ridicule. The painting derives a special charm from its copper support. Teniers frequently used copper plates for particularly finely executed cabinet paintings; what is remarkable here, however, is the comparatively large size of the copper plate. The perfectly smooth surface allows for precise application of paint and an extraordinarily nuanced rendering of the finest details. In this painting, this benefits the delicately rendered facial features as well as the costumes and their subtle fashion details. Fabrics, buttons, bows, and cards are characterized with just a few confident brushstrokes. Up close, an astonishing wealth of painterly details is revealed, while from a slightly greater distance, these details coalesce into a perfectly cohesive scene. It is precisely here that the mastery of the late Teniers is evident. The subdued color palette of the surroundings allows the figures to stand out clearly. Individual light areas and colorful accents give structure to the group and guide the viewer’s gaze from face to face and finally back to the game on the table. Nothing appears ostentatious or overloaded. Just a few figures and objects are enough to create an entire social microcosm. “Soldiers Playing Cards” thus reveals Teniers at the height of his mature genre art. From a motif as simple as can be, he develops, with a light hand, a rich depiction of human attention and conviviality. It is the seemingly casual details that interest him—a glance, a hand gesture, a blue bow, the posture of a player leaning over his cards. From such details emerges the narrative art—as true to life as it is elegant—that characterizes his finest genre paintings.