La Tour Cheat with the Ace of Diamonds
Artist: Georges de la Tour (French b. 1593 d. 1652)
Date: 1640
Dimensions: 104 x 154 cm
Medium: oil on canvas
Current location: private collection
Period: Baroque
Genre: genre painting

Quick Notes:
  • De la Tour was influenced by Caravaggio, and he used Caravaggio's painting The
    Cardsharps as a model for this piece.
  • The composition tells a story through carefully orchestrated glances and gestures. Who is
    being tricked and who is doing the tricking? How do we know? De La Tour uses contrasts
    of rich clothing vs. simple clothing, male vs. female, soft vs. rough, and cunning vs. naivete
    to create the narrative.
  • Examine De la Tour’s careful painting of textures. He differentiates the different kinds of
    fabric, metal, paper, and other materials in the accessories.

Suggested Compare-Contrast Target:
  • Cezanne, The Card Players

Writing Prompts:
  • Describe the glances of the four characters in the painting. What do we learn from them?
  • How does De La Tour balance the composition symmetrically?
  • In what ways is this painting didactic in nature? What does it aim to teach the viewer?


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