The Cheats, Mercenary Soldiers Playing Cards

Valentin's painting "1618 to 1620" shows a group of rough mercenary soldiers gaming at a table in a tavern or a dark alley, where two roll dice while two others, centre and left, play cards. As the more finely dressed youth in a feathered cap at the left examines his cards, a fifth figure in the shadows behind him signals to his accomplice in the centre the hand of the young dupe. Valentin presented a raw and sinister scene of contemporary street life. - This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1926.