Who painted The Card Sharp on the Boulevard?

The Card Sharp on the Boulevard was painted by Louis-Léopold Boilly in 1806.

Where can I see The Card Sharp on the Boulevard?

The Card Sharp on the Boulevard is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is The Card Sharp on the Boulevard?

The Card Sharp on the Boulevard is associated with Romanticism.

Can I buy a print of The Card Sharp on the Boulevard?

Museum-quality prints of The Card Sharp on the Boulevard are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

The Card Sharp on the Boulevard

Louis-Léopold Boilly , 1806

The Card Sharp on the Boulevard is an oil painting by the Romanticist artist Louis-Léopold Boilly. It dates from 1806 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Louis-Léopold Boilly’s 1806 oil on wood, titled The Card Sharp on the Boulevard, captures a bustling street scene in Paris during the Napoleonic period. The work is part of the National Gallery of Art’s collection in Washington, D.C., and presents a lively street entertainment where a card‑cheating performer draws the attention of onlookers.

Subject & Meaning

The composition centers on a street magician or card‑sharper positioned on the right, whose deceptive trick—concealing an extra card—engages a mixed crowd of children and women. Boilly inserts his own likeness among the spectators, wearing a bicorne hat, suggesting a personal connection to the urban tableau and the everyday vices of the time.

Technique & Style

Executed in oil on a wooden panel, Boilly employs meticulous brushwork and subtle glazing to render the varied facial expressions and textures of clothing. The attention to detail creates a vivid sense of immediacy, while the genre‑painting format reflects the artist’s interest in documenting contemporary street life.

History & Provenance

The painting was first shown at the Louvre’s Salon of 1808, paired with a companion piece titled Young Savoyards Showing Their Marmot. It reappeared at the 1814 Salon, organized quickly after the Bourbon Restoration, before eventually entering the National Gallery of Art’s holdings.

Context

Set on the Boulevard du Temple, a thoroughfare known for its bustling entertainment venues, the work illustrates the popular street spectacles that characterized early‑19th‑century Paris. Boilly’s depiction aligns with the broader trend of genre scenes that documented urban leisure and vice.