Backgammon Players

1634 · North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh

genre

In this painting, and also in some of his other works, Rombouts has placed himself and his wife rather obviously among the bystanders, a custom which was not unusual in Dutch genre painting, particularly among the Caravaggists. The lavishly dressed soldier bears the artist's likeness.

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About the Artist

Theodor Rombouts

1597 – 1637

Flemish painter, mainly of religious and genre scenes. In his native Antwerp he was a pupil of Janssens, an Italianate painter of merit, then from about 1616 to about 1625 he was in Italy. There his work became strongly Caravaggesque and he established himself as one of the leading Flemish exponents of the style. Later, he fell under the all-pervasive influence of Rubens and his work became much lighter in tonality.

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