David TeniersFlemish, 1610–1690Game of Backgammon
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “Game of Backgammon” now? Collection: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.
Cleveland, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
The game of backgammon has a long and popular history which can be traced back many centuries. The version of the game as it is played in modern times first appeared in the 1400s under various names. Its current appellation was coined around the same time as the date of this painting. Backgammon was exceptionally popular in the 1600s, and was often played for money or other wagers. The two men on the left side of this painting are clearly involved in a high stakes game of backgammon. A three-man cluster has gathered to watch them lay their bets, while another tallies their points on a scoreboard. The young lady in the right corner of the room otherwise surrounded by men and the older women who looks down on the game of backgammon from a window, both indicate that the interior presented in this painting is probably the gaming room of a brothel.
Read on
Courtesans often worked out of such game rooms, providing further entertainment for men. Depictions of games, like procurement scenes, often symbolized moralizing virtues. Games were considered at best folly and at worst immoral. Backgammon was often used to represent the foolishness or wickedness of betting and wasting one's time.
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Details
- Accession number
- 1943.377
In the catalog
Sources
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Image: The Cleveland Museum of Art — Museum open access
In the life of David Teniers
The whole life1626–1650 · Workplace
Antwerp
1644
Dean of the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke
He became dean of the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke.
1647
Patronage of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm
Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, appointed governor of the Spanish Netherlands, became the artist's patron.
October 1650 – 1690 · Workplace
Brussels
1651
Court Painter in Brussels
Summoned by Archduke Leopold Wilhelm to the Brussels court, he was appointed court painter (pintor de cámara) and keeper of the archduke's extensive art collections.
1651
Journey to England to Buy Paintings
The Count of Fuensaldaña sent Teniers to England to purchase paintings from the Pembroke collection and, presumably, at other sales of confiscated collections.
