Drie kaartspelende mannen aan tafel 1739 - 1804

Johann Andreas Benjamin Nothnagel made this print, "Three Men Playing Cards at a Table," sometime in the late 18th century. The image depicts a scene of leisure, but it also subtly comments on social hierarchies and the spaces where those hierarchies are both reinforced and occasionally subverted. Made in the Dutch Republic, the print reflects an interest in everyday life that characterized much Dutch art of the period. But it also gives us a glimpse into the culture of taverns and other gathering places where people from different social strata might interact, and where activities like card playing could serve as a form of social levelling, or at least a temporary escape from the rigid structures of society. The clothing of the characters suggests a rural setting and working-class origins. To understand this print fully, we might look at historical records of popular culture, including accounts of tavern life and gambling habits. We might also look at Dutch printmaking institutions to see the market for images like these. The meaning of this artwork is contingent on the social and institutional contexts in which it was made and viewed.