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

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

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

At the same time, the gestures and expressions of the figures are overstated. The accomplice, for example, signals in an obvious, posed way as if he were a character in a drama who wants to be sure the audience follows the plot.