Christoffel Jacobsz. van der Laemen
(Brussels 1606/1615 – Antwerp 1651)
Elegant company at a Tric-Trac game
Signed with initials u.r.
Oil on panel, 49.5 x 64.3 cm
Provenance:
– Auction Van Ham Kunstauktionen, Cologne, 30 June 2005, lot 1349 (incl. copy of invoice)
– Private collection, The Netherlands
N.B.:
The board game Tric-Trac dates to the fifteenth century. It possibly originated in the Middle-East and was introduced in Europe during the Renaissance. Since the sixteenth century the game was played by the French elite, accompanied by music and a glass of wine. King Louis XIV was a fervent player of Tric-Trac, and as a ‘cheat’ had the rules changed on several occasions, as a result of which several versions of the game developed.