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

After Lucas van Leyden, The Card Players, probably c. 1550/1599, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Samuel H. Kress Collection 1961.9.27

Cardplaying was illegal but became highly popular throughout Europe during the sixteenth century. Lucas van Leyden was among the first to represent the subject in art. Here a group of upper-middle-class citizens plays a popular game called primero. The gentleman holding the ace of spades—the wild card—points to a pile of money in anticipation of his winnings. Van Leyden presents a titillating glimpse of men and women participating in illicit activity.