Artwork
The Game of Skittles (Allegory of Fortune?)
The Game of Skittles (Allegory of Fortune?) is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jacob Duck. It dates from 1635 and is held in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts.
About this work
Overview
Jacob Duck’s 1635 oil painting, titled The Game of Skittles (Allegory of Fortune?), portrays a group of men engaged in a skittles match on a seaside setting. Rendered in the Dutch Golden Age style, the work is part of the Detroit Institute of Arts collection and reflects Duck’s interest in scenes that juxtapose leisure with moral commentary.
Subject & Meaning
The composition presents several figures in 17th‑century dress—large hats, long coats—playing skittles on a beach, while a distant horizon shows ships on water. The activity serves as an allegorical device, suggesting the role of chance and the folly of human pursuits, a recurring theme in Duck’s oeuvre.
Technique & Style
Duck employs a nuanced handling of light and shadow to model the figures and create atmospheric depth. Careful rendering of fabric folds, sand texture, and the glint of distant water demonstrates his attention to detail and his mastery of chiaroscuro within a genre‑scene framework.
History & Provenance
Originally executed in the Netherlands during the height of the Dutch Golden Age, the painting later entered the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts, where it remains on display. Its provenance traces back to the artist’s workshop and subsequent acquisitions by European and American collectors.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jacob Duck (also Ducq, Duyck, Duick, Duc) (1600 – buried 22/28 January 1667) was a Dutch painter and etcher.
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