A Kick-up at a Hazard Table Possibly 1787

Thomas Rowlandson's "A Kick-up at a Hazard Table" plunges us into a chaotic gambling scene, dominated by the raw emotion of a dice game gone awry. The upturned table and flying bodies speak of a primal outburst. Consider the raised chair—a motif echoing through art history. From classical depictions of wrathful gods wielding lightning bolts to Renaissance images of rebellion and revolution, the raised object is a perennial symbol of defiance. The act of overturning, a gesture laden with psychological weight. It can be found in pagan rituals where destruction precedes renewal, and again in the French Revolution, signaling a complete overthrow of the established order. Overturning is a primal act of rejection, a refusal to adhere to the dictates of fate or authority. Here, in Rowlandson's tableau, the overturning and rising up against social structures is distilled into a moment of pure, unbridled id, reminding us that beneath the veneer of civilization lies a potential for chaos, always waiting to erupt.