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The energetic pose of the man bowling suggests that he’s serious about his game and that, given a moment or two, the skittles will be scattered everywhere. His companions keep a close watch, while a little boy stands straight and gazes intently, a crutch under his arm. Steen has captured their moods and characters with the minimum of facial detail, their poses and gestures enough to tell us about them.
Steen’s paintings are robust and entertaining. Perhaps the fact that he owned and kept an inn brought him close to the people and incidents he painted, making them immediate, lively and true to life.
Title
Skittle Players outside an Inn
Date
probably 1660-3
Medium
Oil on oak
Measurements
H 33.5 x W 27 cm
Accession number
NG2560
Acquisition method
Salting Bequest, 1910
Work type
Painting
The National Gallery, London
Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England
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