Lot 2080 N α

Jacob Duck's exact time of birth is unknown, but we know that he enjoyed a successful career as a painter in Haarlem and Utrecht from 1620 to 1660. According to the rules and allocations of the guilds of artistic centres in the Netherlands, he specialised in military scenes. This genre was highly popular at the time. The recent victories in the wars of liberation that had split the Northern provinces of the Netherlands from the rest of the country, as well as the successful reorganisation of the army under Maurice of Orange (1567-1625) had changed society's view of soldiers for the better.
Duck chose a highly topical motif for his works and brought it masterfully to canvas. He painted numerous scenes from the daily life of soldiers, but not a single battle painting. Instead, his works depict the more pleasant side of military life: Intimate interior scenes with soldiers relaxing and enjoying themselves. His genre paintings are characterised by their use of a subtle, grey-brown colour palette with contrasting dabs of brighter hues for their characters' shimmering silk clothes.