Artwork
The Tric-Trac Players
The Tric-Trac Players is a drawing by the Baroque artist Philips Koninck. It dates from 1660 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Tric‑Trac Players is a drawing executed around 1660 by Dutch artist Philips de Koninck.
About this work
Overview
The Tric‑Trac Players is a drawing executed around 1660 by Dutch artist Philips de Koninck. The work is part of the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. It depicts a brief, informal moment of a board‑game scene, rendered in a quick, gestural hand that captures the immediacy of the participants’ activity.
Subject & Meaning
Three figures occupy the composition: a standing man in a hat, holding a stick, and two seated players absorbed in the game. The inclusion of a small box on the table suggests the presence of game pieces. The drawing records a domestic leisure activity, offering insight into everyday social interaction in the mid‑seventeenth‑century Netherlands.
Technique & Style
De Koninck employs loose, rapid lines that give the drawing a sketch‑like quality. The rendering is economical, with minimal shading, focusing on the outline of forms and the gesture of the figures. This approach reflects a study or preparatory work, emphasizing movement and expression over detailed finish.
History & Provenance
Created circa 1660, the drawing entered the Cleveland Museum of Art’s holdings through acquisition (specific acquisition details are not recorded in the source). Its presence in a major American museum underscores the continued interest in Dutch Baroque drawings and their role in illustrating everyday life of the period.
Artist & collection
Artist
Philips Koninck (5 November 1619 – 4 October 1688), also spelled Philip de Koninck, was a Dutch landscape painter and younger brother of Jacob Koninck.
The card players
Genre Scene of Young Men Playing a Game
Sketches from a Tavern: Woman Standing and Two Men Seated
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Two Gentlemen (verso)
Beggar Man and Woman
Three Hungarians
A Convivial Gathering with a Man Playing a Hurdy-Gurdy
The Board Players