A game of checkers - David Col (1822 - 1900)

Oil on mahogany
Signed and dated to the bottom left corner: "Antwerp 1884" and on the back of the panel

Dimensions: 38 x 27 cm, 59 x 50 cm (framed)

THE ARTWORK

In a village cafe we ??see two men playing a game of checkers on their day off. The man with the hat is celebrating his victory by lighting his pipe. The man in green robes is deep in his thoughts. He searches for a possible escape from this. We see a block of defeat; his moves are up. The waitress watches the scene. Judging by her grimace, it seems that the man in the hat is close to victory.

The café is richly decorated with bottles of drinks, vases, mugs and so on. The two men are drinking wine during the game. The type of pipe that the man with the hat is holding is a clay pipe. We see an ashtray on the ground and to the right under the chair of the man with green we see a checker stone. In the bottom left corner, we see the signature of David Col.


THE ARTIST

David Col is a Flemish painter born in Antwerp on April 6, 1822. He died on February 19 in Antwerp. He trained at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp. His first solo performance was in 1846, he gained popularity for his humorous scenes of everyday life. His works can be seen in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, Groeningen Museum Brussels, and works can also be seen abroad such as Chicago, Montreal and Cincinnati.