Soldiers Playing Cards and Dice (The Cheats) by Valentin de Boulogne

Valentin de Boulogne, Soldiers Playing Cards and Dice (The Cheats), c. 1620/1622, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Patrons' Permanent Fund 1998.104.1

Incessant warring throughout the sixteenth century produced a large population of rough, arrogant, only sporadically employed soldiers. These “bravos” idled about Rome, gambling, dueling, drinking, and womanizing. Each man in Valentin’s painting wears one part of a single uniform—a helmet, a breastplate, or a gorget. These men are mercenaries who had to forage for their armor and often dressed in an irregular fashion. Most seventeenth-century images of cheating cardplayers depict such gambling soldiers.

Move your mouse over the image to reveal the helmet at left, breastplate on the figure in front, and gorget (throat piece) on the figure at right.