Interior with Figures Playing Tric-trac 1680

Frans van Mieris the Elder created this painting, Interior with Figures Playing Tric-trac, in the Dutch Republic, likely during the 1660s. It depicts figures in a domestic setting, engaged in leisure. Tric-trac, a backgammon-like game, suggests a world of sophisticated entertainment. But why depict this subject? We should remember the cultural context of the Dutch Golden Age, a time of unprecedented economic growth. This painting reflects the values of a society that had grown wealthy through trade and was eager to display its affluence and education. The trappings of wealth, like the carpet draped casually over the chair, speak to global trade networks. Notice how the game takes place in a classical building. Here the artist is drawing connections between Dutch society and the ideals of classical antiquity, lending his culture an air of respectability and permanence. Looking at paintings like this, the art historian asks: what does art tell us about the cultures that produced it? To answer that question, we must consider the social forces that shape artistic production.