People Playing Cards at an Inn, Jan Ekels (II), 1784

grey wash, over black chalk and pencil, h 350mm × w 381mm More details

‘The winner shows that he has won the game and the loser seems dejected’ is how this scene was described in 1808. Here, all seems to be going well enough: no sky-high losses or eternal disgrace. This was not always the case abroad: English aristocrats were known to gamble entire estates away in a single evening.