Interior with Soldiers and Women (Verso)

Framed by an arched doorway, two soldiers sit smoking, drinking, and chatting with a young woman who sits casually on tiled steps. Behind the woman, a warm light enters to permeate the setting and the objects and figures within. To the right, another woman descends a dark staircase and prepares to enter the room. In the foreground a jumble of objects--rifles, armor, a drum, a pipe, an overturned pail, and yellow drapery--form a more complicated still life grouping. On the back wall, a wooden rack holds pewter plates, crockery, and spoons. This genre scene, an unidealized view of everyday life, illustrates Jacob Duck's shrewd observation of costumes, setting, and objects, as well as his ability to render the surfaces of metal, stone, cloth, and wood.