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This painting is a good example of the combination of Italian Renaissance tendencies with the artist's native Flemish inheritance.
It is assumed that the subject of the painting may not be the obvious one of card players, but may in fact refer to a secret political alliance at the highest level. In this case the figure on the left would be Emperor Charles V and on the right Cardinal Wolsey, and both would be entering into a secret agreement between Spain and England against Francis I of France. The woman in the centre would be Margaret of Austria, sister of Charles V and regent of the Netherlands.
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