Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
The End of the Game of Cards
(18th and 19th Centuries )
Two gentlemen in Louis XIII attire have fought a fatal duel over a game of tarot. One lies dead with his head resting on an overturned chair and the other, clasping his chest, expires in the background. Strewn across the floor are the cards with the two swords and three coins visible in the right foreground. The setting is actually Meissonier's richly furnished studio at Poissy. This picture illustrates Meissonier's mastery of foreshortening and his ability to express dramatic action in a miniature scale.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
William Hood Stewart, New York [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; William Hood Stewart Sale, American Art Galleries, New York, 1898, no. 110 [1]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1898, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
[1] sold for $9000 (annotated auction catalog, WAM library)
Exhibitions
| 2018-2021 | Boldini and his Circle. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 1884 | Exhibition Meissonier. Galerie Georges Petit, Paris. |
| 1873 | International Exposition. Vienna. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 6/13/1951 | Treatment | varnish reduced; coated |
| 3/9/1981 | Examination | examined for condition |
| 7/1/1992 | Treatment | stabilized; inpanted |
| 7/27/1992 | Loan Consideration | {\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0\deflang1033{\fonttbl{\f0\fnil\fcharset0 Arial;}}\viewkind4\uc1\pard\fs20 examined for loan\par} |
| 6/30/1995 | Examination | other |
Geographies
France (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 8 3/4 × W: 7 1/16 in. (22.2 × 18 cm); Framed H: 15 1/16 × W: 13 9/16 × D: 2 15/16 in. (38.3 × 34.5 × 7.5 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1898
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.149