Contact gallery for price		Gillis van Tilborch 1625 -Brussels - 1678 Playing Cards Oil on panel 13 x 10 inches (33 x 25 cm) Signed lower right: TILBORCH Gillis van Tilborch first learned to paint with his father and later studied with David Teniers the Younger. He became a member of the local painters' guild in 1654. Tilborch primarily painted genre scenes of peasant life and group portraits. The artist's use of color is lively with reds and blues, indeed reminiscent of David Teniers. In June 1666 he was appointed keeper of the picture collection in Tervuren Castle, near Brussels, and after this time he mostly painted interiors of Kunstkammern. Our painting is an excellent example of Tilborch's ability to capture the vitality and energy of Netherlandish genre. The composition consist of six lively peasants gathered around a kitchen table. Three of them sit engrossed, playing a hand of cards with expressive facial gestures while the others gather around to observe the activity. The group is arranged within a typical peasant interior consisting of a hearty tressel table, benches and hearth. The group enthusiastically play their game with expressive facial gestures, dressed in lively, colorful smocks and an interesting assortment of hats. The players are painted in the bright lively manner typical to the artist's oeuvre rendering the scene a jolly heart-warming quality.