Herberginterieur met een trictracspeler c. 1658

This is Gesina ter Borch's "Herberginterieur met een trictracspeler," created in the 17th century in the Netherlands, part of a period when women artists often had to navigate significant social constraints. Ter Borch, born in 1633, lived in a society where women’s roles were narrowly defined, yet she managed to become a respected artist, mainly working within the domestic sphere. This drawing, now in the Rijksmuseum, delicately renders an interior scene with figures engaged in trictrac, a form of backgammon. What strikes me about this piece is its intimate scale and the quiet observation of everyday life. The very act of depicting such a scene, especially by a woman artist, can be seen as a subtle assertion of presence and perspective within a patriarchal society. It provides a glimpse into the social activities of the time, reflecting both the leisure and the interactions that shaped community life. In "Herberginterieur met een trictracspeler," Ter Borch offers us not just a visual record, but an invitation to consider the lives and spaces of those who, like herself, existed on the margins of the grand historical narratives.