IMMINENT ESCALATION - THE GAMBLERS

Card and dice games were very popular in Caravaggio’s day and in that of his followers. Since large sums of money were often at stake, cheating was rampant and disputes and fights were not uncommon. As a result, card and dice games were ultimately banned for the common folk. Hendrick ter Brugghen depicts two soldiers discussing just-rolled dice. Their conversation threatens to end in a physical altercation.

The bearded older soldier holds an eyeglass to his eyes – the implication for contemporary viewers being that anyone requiring the aid of glasses or a pince-nez was slow-witted. Does he really grasp what’s happening right beneath his nose?

With his left hand he clings to his sword, ready to use it should any trickery come to light.

The younger soldier is speaking to the older man and gesticulating.

A young observer with a feathered cap is looking at the older soldier...

...and pointing to the dice and the coins on the table. Is he trying to settle the dispute, or is he merely an accomplice to the younger soldier?

On closer inspection, you can see that the youth with the feathered cap has snuck his left hand under the arm of the older soldier. Perhaps this indicates that the match between the numbers shown on the dice and the faces of the cards was no coincidence – and that the old man has indeed been duped.