TILBORGH, Gillis van
(b. ca. 1625, Brussel, d. ca. 1678, Brussel)

An Elegant Interior

1660s
Oil on canvas, 139 x 210 cm
Private collection

Gillis van Tilborgh painted this scene of elegant interior with twelve gentleman surrounded by paintings and leather wall coverings with a game of backgammon at centre in the 1660s. He specialized in group portraits of upper-class citizens in a style comparable to that of his Gonzales Coques. Among his most distinguished group portraits are those set within collector's cabinets or paintings galleries, as exemplified in the present painting, for they showcase not only his skills in rendering portraits and realistic spaces, but they also provide a fascinating window into the Flemish art collections of the seventeenth century.

In the present work, twelve elegantly dressed full-length figures are set within this space and gathered in small, contained groups. At left, four men stand near a table covered with remnants of food and drink, and nearby on the floor are scattered five oyster shells. At centre, six figures are gathered around a game of backgammon, and next to the fireplace at right are poised two additional men. Although the identity of the twelve men remains unknown, the 1779 sale catalogue describes them as being painters contemporary to van Tilborgh. The seven paintings visible in this work, however, are almost all identifiable, and many are currently found in the collections of prominent museums.




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